-•'•"':!:;>• 


MYTHS   AND   FOLK-LORE 


OF 


IRELAND 


MYTHS  AND  FOLK-LORE 


or 


IRELAND 


Bv   JEREMIAH    CURTIN 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND   COMPANY 
1911 


Copyright,  1889 
BY  JEREMIAH  CURTIN 


8.  J.  PARKHILL  &  Co.,  BOSTON,  U.  S.  A. 


MAJOR  J.   W.   POWELL,  LL.D., 

OF  HARVARD  AND  HEIDELBERG, 

Chief  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  the  United  States,  Director 
of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution, Washington^  D.  C. 

SIR,— 

You  inherit  the  name  and  possibly  the  blood 
of  one  of  the  great  lawgivers  of  Europe,  —  Howell  Dda, 
or  Howell  the  Good,  of  Wales.  The  name  has  come 
down  to  us  in  three  forms,  I  believe,  —  Powell  (shortened 
from  Ap  Howell,  son  of  Howell),  Howell,  and  Ho  wells. 

The  Welsh  or  Kymric  people,  whether  at  home,  or 
abroad,  are  famous  for  devotion  to  letters  and  the  effec- 
tual and  tender  care  with  which  they  have  guarded  and 
cherished  the  language  of  their  fathers,  —  a  language 
which  contains  so  much  that  is  beautiful,  so  much  that 
it  would  be  a  sin  to  let  die. 

In  many  States  of  our  Union  the  Kymri  meet  at  great 
festivals,  where  they  contend  for  rewards  of  literary  ex- 
cellence with  a  spirit  which  gives  them  a  place  of  peculiar 
distinction  among  men  who  have  settled  America. 

In  their  native  land,  Welshmen  have  maintained  their 
intellectual  integrity  with  such  resolution  and  success  that 


2061404 


iv  Dedication. 

the  great  English  statesman  of  the  age,  in  noting  this  fact, 
has  described  the  people,  with  their  country,  in  three 
words  which  will  be  associated  henceforth  with  the  name 
of  William  Ewart  Gladstone. 

These  three  words  are,  "  Gallant  little  Wales." 
To  you,  a  distinguished  American  of  Kymric  descent, 
I  beg  to  inscribe  this  my  first  contribution  to  the  ancient 
lore  of  the  Kelts,  because  you  are  deeply  devoted  to  the 
early  history  of  man,  and  because  through  you  I  wish  to 
express  my  respect  for  the  people  of  Wales,  whose  action 
deserves  to  be  studied  and  weighed  by  their  kinsmen,  the 
Gael  of  Alba  and  Erin. 

JEREMIAH  CURTIN. 

CASCADE  MOUNTAINS, 

STATE  OF  WASHINGTON, 

Nov.  30,  1889. 


CONTENTS. 


PACK 

INTRODUCTION 7 

THE  SON  OF  THE  KING  OF  ERIN,  AND  THE  GIANT 

OF  LOCH  LfiN 32 

THE  THREE  DAUGHTERS  OF  KING  O'HARA    ...  50 
THE  WEAVER'S  SON  AND  THE  GIANT  OF  THE  WHITE 

HILL 64 

FAIR,  BROWN,  AND  TREMBLING 78 

THE  KING  OF  ERIN  AND  THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  LONE- 
SOME ISLAND 93 

THE  SHEE  AN  GANNON  AND  THE  GRUAGACH  GAIRE  114 
THE  THREE  DAUGHTERS  OF  THE  KING  OF  THE  EAST, 

AND  THE  SON  OF  A  KlNG  IN  ERIN      ....  129 
THE  FISHERMAN'S  SON  AND  THE  GRUAGACH  OF 

TRICKS 139 

THE  THIRTEENTH  SON  OF  THE  KlNG  OF  ERIN  .    .  157 

KIL  ARTHUR 175 

SHAKING-HEAD 186 

BIRTH  OF  FIN  MACCUMHAIL  AND  ORIGIN  OF  THE 

FENIANS  OF  ERIN 204 


vi  Contents. 

PAGE 

FlN  MACCUMIIAIL  AND  THE  FENIANS  OF  ERIN  IN 

THE  CASTLE  OF  FEAR  DUBH 221 

FlN  MACCUMHAIL  AND  THE  KNIGHT  OF  THE  FULL 

AXE 232 

GILLA  NA  GRAKIN  AND  FIN  MACCUMHAIL  .  .  244 
FIN  MACCUMHAIL,  THE  SEVEN  BROTHERS,  AND  THE 

KING  OF  FRANCE 270 

BLACK,  BROWN,  AND  GRAY 281 

FIN  MACCUMHAIL  AND  THE  SON  OF  THE  KING  OF 

ALBA 292 

CUCULIN 304 

OlSIN   IN   TlR  NA   N-OG 327 


NOTES 343 


MYTHS  AND  FOLK-LORE  OF  IRELAND. 


INTRODUCTION. 

r  I  ^HE  myth  tales  in  the  present  volume  were 
-*•       collected  by  me  personally  in  the  West  of 
Ireland,  in  Kerry,  Galway,  and  Donegal,  during 
the  year  1887. 

All  the  tales  in  my  collection,  of  which  those 
printed  in  this  volume  form  but  a  part,  were  taken 
down  from  the  mouths  of  men  who,  with  one  or 
two  exceptions,  spoke  only  Gaelic,  or  but  little 
English,  and  that  imperfectly.  These  men  belong 
to  a  group  of  persons,  all  of  whom  are  well  ad- 
vanced in  years,  and  some  very  old;  with  them 
will  pass  away  the  majority  of  the  story-tellers  of 
Ireland,  unless  new  interest  in  the  ancient  language 
and  lore  of  the  country  is  roused. 

For  years  previous  to  my  visit  of  1887  I  was 
not  without  hope  of  finding  some  myth  tales  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation.  I  was  led  to  entertain 


8         Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

this  hope  by  indications  in  the  few  Irish  stories 
already  published,  and  by  certain  tales  and  beliefs 
that  I  had  taken  down  myself  from  old  Irish  per- 
sons in  the  United  States.  Still,  during  the  earlier 
part  of  my  visit  in  Ireland  I  was  greatly  afraid  that 
the  best  myth  materials  had  perished.  Inquiries 
as  to  who  might  be  in  possession  of  these  old 
stories  seemed  fruitless  for  a  considerable  time. 
The  persons  whom  I  met  that  were  capable  of  read- 
ing the  Gaelic  language  had  never  collected  stories, 
and  could  refer  only  in  a  general  way  to  the  dis- 
tricts in  which  the  ancient  language  was  still  living. 
All  that  was  left  was  to  seek  out  the  old  people 
for  whom  Gaelic  is  the  every-day  speech,  and  trust 
to  fortune  to  find  the  story-tellers. 

Comforting  myself  with  the  old  Russian  proverb 
that  "  game  runs  to  meet  the  hunter,"  I  set  out  on 
my  pilgrimage,  giving  more  prominence  to  the 
study  and  investigation  of  Gaelic,  which,  though 
one  of  the  two  objects  of  my  visit,  was  not  the  first. 
In  this  way  I  thought  to  come  more  surely  upon 
men  who  had  myth  tales  in  their  minds  than  if  I 
went  directly  seeking  for  them.  I  was  not  disap- 
pointed, for  in  all  my  journeyings  I  did  not  meet  a 
single  person  who  knew  a  myth  tale  or  an  old  story 
who  was  not  fond  of  Gaelic  and  specially  expert  in 


Introduction. 


the  use  of  it ;  while  I  found  very  few  story-tellers 
from  whom  a  myth  tale  could  be  obtained  unless 
in  the  Gaelic  language ;  and  in  no  case  have  I  found 
a  story  in  the  possession  of  a  man  or  woman  who 
knew  only  English. 

Any  one  who  reads  the  myth  tales  contained  in 
this  volume  will  find  that  they  are  well  preserved. 
At  first  thought  it  may  seem  quite  wonderful  that 
tales  of  this  kind  should  be  found  in  such  condi- 
tion while  the  whole  body  of  tales  are  passing 
away  so  rapidly;  on  examination,  however,  this 
will  appear  not  only  reasonable,  but  as  the  inevi- 
table outcome  of  the  political  and  social  condition 
of  the  people. 

There  is  no  country  in  Europe  so  special  in  its 
conditions  as  Ireland,  none  in  which  hitherto  there 
has  been  in  some  things  a  more  resolute  conserva- 
tism, coupled  with  such  a  frivolous  surrender  of 
the  chief  mental  possession  of  the  people,  cherished 
during  so  many  centuries  of  time,  —  a  frivolous  sur- 
render of  the  possession  which  beyond  all  others 
distinguishes  a  nation ;  for  the  character  and  mould 
of  a  nation's  thought  are  found  in  its  language  as 
nowhere  else,  and  the  position  of  a  nation  in  the 
scale  of  humanity  is  determined  irrevocably  by  its 
thought. 


io       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Owing  to  this  conservatism  of  a  part  of  the 
people,  for  which  science  should  be  grateful,  there 
are  still  some  myth  tales  left  in  Ireland,  as  well,  if 
not  better,  preserved  than  any  in  the  remotest  cor- 
ners of  eastern  and  northern  Europe. 

Since  all  mental  training  in  Ireland  is  directed 
by  powers  both  foreign  and  hostile  to  everything 
Gaelic,  the  moment  a  man  leaves  the  sphere  of 
that  class  which  uses  Gaelic  as  an  every-day  lan- 
guage and  which  clings  to  the  ancient  ideas  of  the 
people,  everything  which  he  left  behind  seems  to 
him  valueless,  senseless,  and  vulgar ;  consequently 
he  takes  no  care  to  retain  it  either  in  whole  or  in 
part.  Hence  the  clean  sweep  of  myth  tales  in  one 
part  of  the  country,  —  the  greater  part,  occupied 
by  a  majority  of  the  people ;  while  they  are  still  pre- 
served in  other  and  remoter  districts,  inhabited  by 
men  who  for  the  scholar  and  the  student  of  man- 
kind are  by  far  the  most  interesting  in  Ireland. 

Though  in  some  countries  of  Europe  the 
languages  of  the  earlier  inhabitants,  and  notably 
those  of  the  Western  Slavs,  are  forced  into  inferior 
political  positions,  no  language  has  been  treated 
with  such  cruelty  and  insult  by  its  enemies  and 
with  such  treasonable  indifference  by  the  majority 
of  the  people  to  whom  it  belongs  as  the  Gaelic. 


Introduction.  1 1 


In  modern  times  no  language  of  Aryan  stock  has 
been  driven  first  from  public  use,  and  then  dropped 
from  the  worship  of  God  and  the  life  of  the  fire- 
side, but  the  Gaelic  alone.  On  the  European  main- 
land myth  tales  continue  to  be  told  in  the  language 
of  the  country  to  which  they  belong,  —  the  lan- 
guage in  which  they  have  been  told  for  centuries ; 
and  if  these  tales  become  blurred  and  less  distinct, 
they  become  so  in  proportion  as  the  conditions  for 
their  existence  disappear:  but  they  are  not  cut 
down  as  a  forest  is  felled  by  the  axe. 

This,  it  seems  to  me,  explains  the  peculiar  con- 
dition of  myth  tales  in  Ireland,  so  well  preserved 
where  the  Gaelic  language  is  still  living,  and  swept 
away  completely  where  the  language  has  perished. 

A  notable  characteristic  of  Irish  tales  is  the  defi- 
niteness  of  names  and  places  in  a  majority  of  them. 
In  the  Irish  myths  we  are  told  who  the  charac- 
ters are,  what  their  condition  of  life  is,  and  where 
they  lived  and  acted ;  the  heroes  and  their  fields 
of  action  are  brought  before  us  with  as  much  defi- 
niteness  as  if  they  were  persons  of  to-day  or  yester- 
day. This  is  a  characteristic  much  less  frequently 
met  with  in  middle  and  eastern  Europe.  In  the 
Magyar  stories  the  usual  formula  is,  "  Where  there 
was  or  where  there  was  not,  there  was  in  the  world." 


1 2        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Even  the  Russian  stories,  which  are  much  more 
definite  than  the  Magyar,  and  which  have  a  good 
number  of  local  myth-heroes,  are  less  definite  than 
the  Gaelic.  "  In  a  certain  State  in  a  certain  king- 
dom there  was,  or  there  lived,  there  was  a  man," 
is  a  very  frequent  formula ;  and  so  on  through  all 
Europe.  The  actor  is  often  unspecified,  and  the 
place  unknown.  If  he  goes  anywhere,  he  simply 
travels  across  forty-nine  kingdoms  or  beyond  thrice 
nine  lands.  But  in  the  Irish  tales  he  is  always  a 
person  of  known  condition  in  a  specified  place. 

This  is  a  very  interesting  characteristic ;  since  in 
all  the  mythologies  which  are  intact,  such  as  those 
of  America,  the  myth  is  a  story  in  which  the 
characters  are  persons  as  definite  as  if  they  were 
actual  neighbors  of  the  people  who  tell  the  stories 
and  listen  to  them.  This  alone  would  seem  to 
prove  that  the  Gaelic  mythology,  so  far  as  it  is 
preserved  in  Ireland,  is  better  preserved  than  the 
mythology  of  any  other  European  country. 

A  mythology  in  the  time  of  its  greatest  vigor 
puts  its  imprint  on  the  whole  region  to  which  it  be- 
longs ;  the  hills,  rivers,  mountains,  plains,  villages, 
trees,  rocks,  springs,  and  plants  are  all  made  sacred. 
The  country  of  the  mythology  becomes,  in  the 
fullest  sense  of  the  word,  a  "  holy  land." 


Introduction.  13 


When  by  invasion  and  the  superposition  of  strange 
races,  by  change  of  religion  or  other  causes,  myths 
are  lost,  or  nothing  retained  save  the  argument, 
the  statement  of  the  myth,  and  that  but  in  part, 
then  all  precision  and  details  with  reference  to 
persons  and  places  vanish,  they  become  indefinite, 
are  in  some  kingdom,  some  place,  —  nowhere  in 
particular. 

A  myth  tale  may  be  considered  a  thing  of  value 
from  three  different  points  of  view,  and  conse- 
quently for  three  different  classes  of  readers.  To 
one  class  it  is  valuable  for  its  wonderful  story  and 
the  way  in  which  this  story  is  told.  So  that  a 
beautiful  tale  has  a  value  for  most  men,  irrespec- 
tive of  its  scientific  worth,  and  considered  apart 
altogether  from  how  well  or  ill  the  primitive 
character  of  its  personages  is  preserved;  just  as 
a  paragraph  in  a  given  language  may  be  valuable 
to  the  general  reader,  irrespective  of  the  form 
or  philological  value  of  its  words. 

To  a  second  class  of  readers  a  tale  is  inter- 
esting for  the  social  or  antiquarian  data  which  it 
preserves,  or  for  purposes  of  comparison  with 
tales  of  another  race. 

To  a  third,  and  very  small  class  as  yet,  a  tale  is 
valuable  for  the  myth  material  which  it  contains, 


14        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

f 
—  for  the  amount  of  its  contribution  to  the  history 

of  the  human  mind. 

The  first  class  of  readers  will,  it  seems  to  me, 
accord  a  high  value  to  Gaelic  tales,  and  when  a 
sufficient  number  of  them  is  presented  to  the  world, 
they  will  receive  their  proper  rank  among  the 
myth  tales  of  Europe. 

The  second  class  of  readers  will  find  a  large 
amount  of  interesting  material  in  Gaelic  myth 
tales,  and  they  will  know  how  to  find  what  they 
want  without  further  comment. 

To  students  of  mythology,  forming  the  third  — 
the  most  restricted,  but  in  the  eye  of  science  the 
most  important  —  class  of  readers,  some  remarks 
concerning  mythology,  myth,  and  myth  tale  may 
not  be  out  of  place  nor  unwelcome. 

First,  as  to  the  origin  of  the  term  "  mythology." 

There  are  two  nouns  in  the  Greek  language  which 
have  a  long  and  interesting  history  behind  them ; 
these  are  mythos  and  logos.  Originally  they  had  the 
same  power  in  ordinary  speech;  for  in  Homer's 
time  they  were  used  indifferently,  sometimes  one 
being  taken,  and  sometimes  the  other,  with  the 
meaning  that  "  word  "  has  in  our  language. 

Strictly  speaking,  there  was  of  course  a  differ- 
ence from  the  very  beginning,  which,  though  slight 


Introduction.  1 5 


enough  to  be  disregarded  in  ordinary  use,  or  by 
poets,  was  sure  to  be  developed  in  proportion  as 
men  felt  the  need  of  making  precise  distinctions. 

Logos  grew  to  mean  the  inward  constitution  as 
well  as  the  outward  form  of  thought,  and  conse- 
quently became  the  expression  of  exact  thought,  — 
which  is  exact  because  it  corresponds  to  universal 
and  unchanging  principles,  —  and  reached  its  high- 
est exaltation  in  becoming  not  only  the  reason  in 
man,  but  the  reason  in  the  universe,  —  the  Divine 
Logos,  the  thought  of  God,  the  Son  of  God,  God 
himself.  Thus  we  have  in  the  Gospel  of  Saint  John, 
"  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word  (logos],  and  the 
Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God." 

Mythos  meant,  in  the  widest  sense,  everything 
uttered  by  the  mouth  of  man,  —  a  word,  an  account 
of  something,  a  story  as  understood  by  the  narrator. 

In  Attic  Greek  mythos  signified  a  prehistoric 
story  of  the  Greeks ;  with  Aristotle  it  was  the  plot 
of  a  tragedy,  —  which  is  the  Attic  me  aning  with  a 
narrower  application ;  for  the  tragedies  were  all 
taken  from  the  prehistoric  stories  of  Greece,  and 
the  prehistoric  stories  of  Greece  were  narratives 
of  divinities  and  heroes,  — that  is,  forces  and  prin- 
ciples of  Nature ;  though  this  was  not  known  to 
the  Greeks  of  that  time. 


1 6        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

When  mythos  received  its  most  definite  as  well  as 
its  most  important  application  as  a  story  of  prehis- 
toric Greece,  its  fate  was  settled  ;  for  these  stories, 
on  account  of  being  understood  neither  in  their  ori- 
gin nor  true  character,  fell  into  discredit  among  the 
Greeks  themselves  before  the  Christian  era.  After 
the  Christian  era  they  found  a  lower  deep  still : 
they  were  not  only  fables,  but  wicked  and  harmful 
fables,  —  the  lies  and  absurdities  of  a  false  religion. 

Logos  and  mythos,  two  words  with  such  a  long 
history,  words  starting  with  the  same  value,  but 
reaching  results  diametrically  opposite,  —  one  be- 
coming during  its  career  the  reason  of  the  uni- 
verse, everything ;  the  other,  a  fiction,  nothing,  — 
gave  us  the  term  "  mythology,"  which,  analyzed  in 
dictionary  fashion,  means,  "  an  account  of  myths, 
a  body  of  myths,"  or,  as  some  define  it,  "  the  sci- 
ence of  myths."  But  no  man,  I  think,  who  knows 
the  present  vagueness  of  opinion  as  to  the  origin 
and  nature  of  myths  would  venture  to  call  myth- 
ology a  science.  It  will  undoubtedly  become  a 
science,  but  it  is  not  a  science  yet,  and  cannot  be 
till  we  are  in  a  position  to  give  a  scientific  state- 
ment of  what  myths  are. 

The  application  of  the  word  "  myth  "  among 
scholars  is  plain  enough  up  to  a  certain  point ;  for 


Introduction.  1 7 


from  being  a  myth  of  Greece  only,  it  is  now  used 
to  mean  a  myth  of  any  tribe  or  people  on  earth. 
So  far  there  is  no  misunderstanding ;  but  then  we 
have  not  gone  very  far.  When  we  ask  what  is  the 
nature  and  origin  of  the  story  to  which  the  name 
"  myth  "  is  given,  different  and  contradictory  an- 
swers are  returned.  Hence  the  perplexity  of  those 
who  take  an  interest  in  mythology,  and  believe  that 
it  contains  something  of  value,  without  knowing 
precisely  in  what  that  value  consists. 

The  result  is  that  mythology,  considered  as  a 
whole,  is  supposed  in  a  certain  rough  kind  of  way 
to  be  a  species  of  codification  of  the  errors  of 
primitive  men,  out  of  which,  by  some  method  as 
yet  unexplained,  curious  and  interesting  conclu- 
sions are  to  be  drawn. 

The  word  "  myth,"  taken  apart  from  mythology 
and  used  in  the  ordinary  language  of  the  day, 
means  "  non-existent."  A  myth  is  a  nothing  with 
a  name.  For  instance,  if  a  man  is  said  to  be 
possessed  of  wealth,  and  is  really  without  a  dollar, 
it  is  said  that  his  wealth  is  a  myth ;  in  other  words, 
his  wealth  is  non-wealth,  nothing,  a  myth.  Some 
months  ago  the  newspapers  contained  an  account 
of  a  marvellous  cradle  of  mother-of-pearl  and  gold, 
owned  by  the  wife  of  a  railroad  millionnaire.  A 


1 8        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

few  days  later  it  was  stated  that  this  cradle  was  a 
myth,  for  the  wife  of  the  millionnaire  rocked  her 
baby  in  a  wicker  basket.  This  last  illustration  is 
an  excellent  one;  the  popular  idea  being  that  a 
myth  is  a  nonentity  of  which  an  entity  is  affirmed, ' 
a  nothing  which  is  said  to  be  something. 

Let  us  examine,  not  the  scientific  definition  of  a 
myth,  for  we  have  none  such  to  examine,  but  a 
couple  of  myth  theories  put  forward  by  two  men  in 
England,  each  a  leader  in  his  own  sphere,  —  Pro- 
fessor Max  Miiller  and  Herbert  Spencer. 

The  first  of  these  theories,  which  might  be  called 
"  the  theory  of  oblivion,"  though  it  is  usually  called 
"  the  linguistic  theory,"  is  founded  on  the  hypothe- 
sis that  men  did  not  and  could  not  make  myths  till 
they  had  forgotten  who  the  chief  actors  in  these 
myths  were ;  that  myth-makers  only  began  to  work 
when  they  had  no  means  of  knowing  what  they 
were  really  working  with,  or  with  whom  they  had 
to  deal  in  making  their  stories;  Miiller's  dictum 
being  :  It  is  the  essential  character  of  a  true 
myth  that  it  should  no  longer  be  intelligible  by 
reference  to  spoken  language. 

According  to  this  theory  the  origin  of  myths  is  to 
be  sought  in  what  is  called  "  a  disease  of  language." 
Now  Professor  Max  Miiller's  disease  of  language  is 


Introduction,  1 9 


merely  an  incident  in  the  history  of  mythology,  not 
the  great  central  and  germinal  principle  which  he 
makes  it.  Neither  from  Max  Miiller's  theory  of 
oblivion  nor  Herbert  Spencer's  theory  of  confusion 
can  a  definition  be  obtained  which  would  apply  to 
the  myths  of  America,  nor  to  the  great  body  of 
myths  of  India  and  Persia,  nor,  for  that  matter,  to 
any  body  of  myths  on  earth. 

If  we  examine  closely  these  two  theories,  we  shall 
find  that  they  owe  their  origin  to  the  overpowering, 
influence  of  the  previous  pursuits  of  the  two  men, 
and  the  scant  and  faulty  materials  at  their  command. 
Max  Miiller,  when  he  published  his  essays  on 
mythology,  was  fresh  from  the  occupation  of  com- 
paring portions  of  the  Aryan  languages  with  each 
other,  especially  Sanscrit  and  Greek.  When  he 
found,  or  fancied  he  found,  certain  names  of  Greek 
mythology  in  Sanscrit,  some  of  which  were  mean- 
ingless names  in  Greek,  but  significant  in  Sanscrit, 
he  thought  he  had  discovered  the  origin  of  myths, 
which  he  found  in  the  misinterpretation  of  names 
whose  meanings  were  really  forgotten,  but  whose 
forms  misled  men  into  identifying  them  with  names 
whose  meanings  were  known,  but  altogether  differ- 
ent from  the  forgotten  meanings  for  which  they 
were  now  substituted. 


2O       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Mythology,  according  to  his  theory,  is  an  out- 
growth of  error  founded  on  mistaken  identity  of 
names ;  and  the  explanation  of  mythology  follows 
on  the  discovery  of  the  real  meaning  of  those 
names  by  the  aid  of  kindred  languages  in  which 
their  meanings  are  preserved. 

Some  stories  connected  with  mythology  have 
arisen  in  the  way  mentioned,  and  such  stories 
cannot  be  explained,  if  explained  at  all,  without  the 
aid  of  kindred  languages;  but  these  stories  no 
more  constitute  mythology  than  the  bayous  and 
creeks  of  the  Amazon  constitute  the  main  body  of 
that  great  river.  Even  if  all  that  Professor  Max 
Miiller  advances  regarding  Greek  and  Sanscrit 
names  were  demonstrated  beyond  a  doubt,  it  would 
explain,  not  the  origin  of  myths,  but  the  origin  of 
the  particular  stories  with  which  he  connects  these 
names ;  for  he  has  put  in  the  place  of  mythology  as 
a  whole,  the  outcroppings  of  a  part  of  mythology 
at  a  comparatively  late  period  of  its  history,  and 
has  not  touched  the  real  origin  of  mythology, 
which,  at  the  time  he  fixes  for  its  birth,  had 
already  attained  a  most  vigorous  growth. 

Herbert  Spencer's  theory  of  confusion  is  founded 
on  the  hypothesis  that  myths  owe  their  origin  to  a 
confusion  in  the  minds  of  primitive  people,  who 


Introduction.  2 1 


worship  their  own  earthly  and  natural  ancestors 
under  the  guise  of  beasts,  birds,  reptiles,  and  plants, 
these  ancestors  when  alive  having  received  the 
names  of  beasts,  birds,  reptiles,  and  plants  because 
they  resembled  them  in  some  way,  and  after  being 
dead  two  or  three  generations  were  confounded 
by  their  descendants  with  the  creatures  or  plants 
after  which  they  were  named.  So  the  people  who 
began  by  worshipping  the  ghosts  of  ordinary  human 
beings,  their  own  fathers,  fell  to  worshipping  wild 
beasts,  snakes,  birds,  and  insects,  from  which  they 
thought  themselves  descended  by  the  ordinary 
process  of  fleshly  generation.  To  fill  out  the  whole 
list,  men,  if  their  ancestors  came  from  the  East, 
were  descended  from  the  sun ;  if  from  a  mountain, 
the  mountain  was  their  ancestor ;  if  from  beyond 
the  sea,  they  were  descended  from  the  sea. 

This  theory  is  discussed  with  as  much  serious- 
ness as  if  it  had  foundation  or  proof  in  the  world, 
as  if  it  had  ascertained  facts  on  which  to  rest ;  and 
on  the  basis  of  this  theory  it  is  shown  that  the 
ghost  of  a  savage  chief  grows,  through  accretions 
of  respect  and  awe,  to  be  an  ethnic  god  of 
incalculable  power. 

Now,  what  is  a  myth  ? 

The  oldest  myth,  or  rather   cycle   of  myths,  In 


2  2        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

America  is  that  which  refers  to  an  order  of  things 
which  preceded  the  present  order,  and  a  race  of 
beings  who  inhabited  the  earth  and  the  country  be- 
yond the  sky  before  man  existed.  At  that  period 
the  earth  —  a  sort  of  featureless  region,  without  the 
characteristic  marks  which  it  now  possesses,  though 
not  infrequently  it  is  represented  as  having  at  least 
some  of  them  —  was  occupied  by  personages  who 
are  called  people,  though  it  is  well  understood  at  all 
times  that  they  were  not  human  ;  they  were  persons, 
individuals.  These  people  had  great  power :  what- 
ever they  wished  for  they  had  ;  all  they  needed  was 
to  name  a  thing,  and  it  was  there  before  them ; 
they  knew  in  their  own  minds  when  any  one  was 
thinking  about  them,  and  what  that  one  thought ; 
they  knew  of  the  approach  of  people  without 
seeing  them,  and  knew  why  they  were  coming. 
After  they  had  lived  on  an  indefinite  period,  they 
appear  as  a  vast  number  of  groups,  which  form 
two  camps,  which  may  be  called  the  good  and  the 
bad.  In  the  good  camp  are  the  persons  who  ori- 
ginate all  the  different  kinds  of  food,  establish 
all  institutions,  arts,  games,  amusements,  dances, 
and  religious  ceremonies  for  the  coming  race. 

In  the  other  camp  are  cunning,  deceitful  beings, 
ferocious   and  hungry  man-eaters,  —  the  harmful 


Introduction .  2  3 


powers  of  every  description.  The  heroes  of  the 
good  camp  overcome  these  one  after  another  by 
stratagem,  superior  skill,  swiftness,  or  the  use  of 
the  all-powerful  wish ;  but  they  are  immortal,  and, 
though  overcome,  cannot  be  destroyed.  At  the 
moment  when  the  contest  is  decided,  the  victor 
says  to  the  conquered  :  "  You  will  be  nothing  here- 
after but  a  — "  and  here  he  mentions  the  beast, 
bird,  insect,  plant,  rock,  or  element  into  which  his 
opponent  is  to  be  changed.  But  though  the  word 
has  been  uttered  which  nothing  in  the  universe  can 
turn  aside  or  resist,  the  conquered  uses  in  some 
cases  his  equally  effective  word ;  he  turns  at  once 
to  use  it  for  the  last  time,  and  says  to  the  victor : 
"Henceforth  you'll  be  nothing  but  a  — "  and 
here  he  tells  the  conqueror  what  he  is  to  be. 

These  struggles  are  described  variously  in  differ- 
ent American  mythologies,  but  the  results  are 
similar  in  all. 

When  the  present  race  of  men  (that  is,  Indians)  ap- 
pear on  the  scene,  the  people  of  the  previous  order 
of  affairs  have  vanished.  One  division,  vast  in  num- 
ber, a  part  of  the  good  and  all  the  bad  ones,  have 
become  the  beasts,  birds,  fishes,  reptiles,  insects, 
plants,  stones,  cold,  heat,  light,  darkness,  fire,  rain, 
snow,  earthquake,  sun,  moon,  stars,  —  have  become, 


24        Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

in  fact,  every  living  thing,  object,  agency,  phenom- 
enon, process,  and  power  outside  of  man.  Another 
party  much  smaller  in  number,  who  succeeded  in 
avoiding  entanglement  in  the  struggle  of  preparing 
the  world  for  man,  left  the  earth.  According  to 
some  myths  they  went  beyond  the  sky  to  the  upper 
land  ;  according  to  others  they  sailed  in  boats  over 
the  ocean  to  the  West,  —  sailed  till  they  went  out 
beyond  the  setting  sun,  beyond  the  line  where  the 
sky  touches  the  earth.  There  they  are  living  now 
free  from  pain,  disease,  and  death,  which  came  into 
the  world  just  before  they  left,  but  before  the 
coming  of  man  and  through  the  agency  of  this 
first  people. 

The  final  voyage  over  the  ocean  of  that  remnant 
of  the  elemental  people,  the  gods  of  America,  is 
described  with  considerable  detail  in  some  myths. 
It  is  on  the  eve  of  man's  appearance.  The  smoke 
that  preceded  his  coming  was  rising  from  the 
ground  and  curling  up  the  hillsides ;  the  distant 
shout  of  his  approach  was  heard  as  the  boats 
moved  quickly  to  the  West. 

This  earliest  American  myth-cycle  really  de- 
scribes a  period  in  the  beginning  of  which  all  things 
—  and  there  was  no  thing  then  which  was  not  a 
person  —  lived  in  company  without  danger  to  each 


In  tr eduction .  2  5 


other  or  trouble.  This  was  the  period  of  primaeval 
innocence,  of  which  we  hear  so  many  echoes  in 
tradition  and  early  literature,  when  that  infinite 
variety  of  character  and  quality  now  manifest  in  the 
universe  was  still  dormant  and  hidden,  practically 
uncreated.  This  was  the  "  golden  age "  of  so 
many  mythologies,  —  the  "  golden  age  "  dreamed  of 
so  often,  but  never  seen  by  mortal  man ;  a  period 
when,  in  their  original  form  and  power,  the  panther 
and  the  deer,  the  wolf  and  the  antelope,  lay  down 
together,  when  the  rattlesnake  was  as  harmless  as 
the  rabbit,  when  trees  could  talk  and  flowers  sing, 
when  both  could  move  as  nimbly  as  the  swiftest  on 
earth. 

Such,  in  a  sketch  exceedingly  meagre  and  im- 
perfect, a  hint  rather  than  a  sketch,  is  the  first  great 
cycle  of  American  mythology,  —  the  creation-myth 
of  the  New  World.  From  this  cycle  are  borrowed 
the  characters  and  machinery  for  myths  of  later 
construction  and  stories  of  inferior  importance; 
myths  relating  to  the  action  of  all  observed  forces 
and  phenomena ;  struggles  of  the  seasons,  winds, 
light  and  darkness ;  and  stories  in  great  number 
containing  adventures  without  end  of  the  present 
animals,  birds,  reptiles,  and  insects,  —  people  of 
the  former  world  in  their  fallen  state. 


26       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Some  of  these  stories  contain  a  certain  amount 
of  what  might  be  termed  broken  myth  material, 
while  others  correspond  exactly  to  the  amusing  or 
satirical  fables  of  literature  in  which  beasts,  birds, 
and  plants  take  the  place  of  men. 

To  whatever  race  they  may  belong,  the  earliest 
myths,  whether  of  ancient  record  or  recent  collec- 
tion, point  with  unerring  indication  to  the  same 
source  as  those  of  America,  for  the  one  reason  that 
there  is  no  other  source.  The  personages  of  any 
given  body  of  myths  are  such  manifestations  of 
force  in  the  world  around  them,  or  the  result  of 
such  manifestations,  as  the  ancient  myth-makers 
observed ;  and  whether  they  went  backwards  or 
forwards,  these  were  the  only  personages  possible 
to  them,  because  they  were  the  only  personages 
accessible  to  their  senses  or  conceivable  to  their 
minds. 

The  primitive  myth-makers,  therefore,  had  no 
choice  but  to  take  that  crowd  of  what  to  them  were 
independent  and  unconnected  forces,  each  being  an 
individual  person  having  its  spring  of  action  within 
itself,  as  the  personages  of  their  stories,  in  which 
were  told  the  tale  of  all  things. 

Since  they  had  passions  varying  like  those  of 
men,  the  myth-makers  narrate  the  origin  of  these 


Introduction.  27 


passions,  and  carried  their  personages  back  to  a 
period  of  peaceful  and  innocent  chaos,  when  there 
was  no  motive  as  yet  in  existence.  After  awhile 
the  shock  came.  The  motive  appeared  in  the  form 
of  revenge  for  acts  done  through  cupidity  or  igno- 
rance ;  strife  began,  and  never  left  the  world  of  the 
gods  till  one  quota  of  them  was  turned  into  animals, 
plants,  heavenly  bodies,  everything  in  the  universe, 
and  the  other  went  away  unchanged  to  a  place  of 
happy  enjoyment. 

All  myths  have  the  same  origin,  and  all  run 
parallel  up  to  a  certain  point,  which  may  be  taken 
as  the  point  to  which  the  least-developed  people 
have  risen.  After  this  the  number  in  the  company 
decreases  till  the  Aryan  mythology  in  its  high- 
est development  stands  alone,  containing  myths 
and  myth-conceptions  of  the  loftiest  and  purest 
character  connected  with  religions  of  Europe  and 
Asia. 

It  is  to  the  explanation  of  the  Aryan  mytho- 
logy that  we  are  to  turn  our  efforts,  and  in  explain- 
ing it,  create  a  science.  In  this  work  there  is  no 
mythology  that  will  not  bear  its  part,  for  the  high- 
est forms  of  Aryan  myth-thought  have  beginnings 
as  simple  as  those  of  the  lowliest  race  on  earth. 
These  Aryan  beginnings  are  partly  preserved, 


28        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

partly  blurred,  and  partly  lost ;  but  we  may  come 
to  see  in  various  degrees,  from  absolute  accuracy 
to  different  kinds  of  approximation,  what  the  lost 
and  blurred  beginnings  were,  and  we  shall  continue 
to  find  this  aid  till  we  have  parted  company  with 
the  last  of  the  non-Aryan  myths. 

Gaelic  mythology  contains  many  myth  facts 
which  have  perished  elsewhere.  The  Gaelic  lan- 
guage shows  that  the  Kelts  left  the  home  of  the 
Aryan  race  at  a  period  far  anterior  to  any  of  the 
other  migrations. 

The  present  of  the  verb  "  to  be  "  and  the  pronouns 
would  suffice  to  prove  this  without  reference  to 
the  body  of  the  language,  which  even  in  present  use 
preserves  through  its  whole  structure  remarkable 
traces  of  antiquity  in  that  freedom  of  arranging 
word-elements  which  is  common  to  all  languages 
at  an  early  period  of  growth,  but  which  in  the  other 
forms  of  Aryan  speech  has  disappeared,  though 
still  common  in  so  many  non-Aryan  languages. 
There  is  not  in  the  oldest  books  of  Persia  and  India, 
nor  in  any  Aryan  language,  dead  or  alive,  except 
Gaelic,  a  single  instance  of  the  substantive  verb 
with  the  predicate  between  that  part  which  is  called 
the  root  and  the  pronominal  particle. 

The  Gaelic  speaker  of  to-day,  if  he  wishes  to  say 


Introduction .  2  9 


"  I  am  a  man,"  says,  "  Is  fear  me ;  "  where,  if  he 
followed  the  usage  of  other  Aryan  languages,  he 
would  say,  "  Fear  isme."  The  Sanscrit  speaker  in 
the  earliest  literary  period  had  to  say  "  Nri  asmi." 
There  was  a  time  when  in  Sanscrit  it  was  proper  to 
put  the  predicate  between  the  two  parts  of  the  verb, 
as  it  is  yet  in  Gaelic,  and  say  "  As  nri  mi,"  instead 
of  "  Nri  asmi ;  "  assuming,  of  course,  that  these 
were  the  correct  forms  of  that  early  period. 

It  cannot  well  be  less  than  three,  and  in  all  likeli- 
hood it  is  nearer  four  than  three,  thousand  years 
since  Sanscrit  and  all  other  Aryan  languages,  ex- 
cept those  of  the  Keltic  migration,  lost  this  ancient 
freedom  of  verbal  arrangement. 

Gaelic  mythology,  removed  from  the  home  of 
the  race  before  this  very  important  linguistic 
change,  shows  survivals  of  that  ancient  time  which 
will  throw  light  on  many  myths,  and  aid  in  con- 
necting non- Aryan  with  Aryan  mythology;  thus 
rendering  a  service  which  we  should  look  for  in 
vain  elsewhere. 

The  reason  is  of  ancient  date  why  myths  have 
come,  in  vulgar  estimation,  to  be  synonymous  with 
lies ;  though  true  myths  —  and  there  are  many  such 
—  are  the  most  comprehensive  and  splendid  state- 
ments of  truth  known  to  man. 


30       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

A  myth,  even  when  it  contains  a  universal  prin- 
ciple, expresses  it  in  a  special  form,  using  with  its 
peculiar  personages  the  language  and  accessories 
of  a  particular  people,  time,  and  place ;  persons  to 
whom  this  particular  people,  with  the  connected 
accidents  of  time  and  place,  are  familiar  and  dear, 
receive  the  highest  enjoyment  from  the  myth,  and 
the  truth  goes  with  it  as  the  soul  with  the  body. 
But  another  people,  to  whom  all  things  connected 
with  this  myth  are  unknown  and  incredible,  regard 
it  as  absurd  and  untrue,  —  that  is,  if  they  consider  it 
at  all.  This  people,  however,  have  a  myth  of  the 
same  character,  and  perhaps  containing  the  same 
principle,  as  that  expressed  in  the  first  myth,  and 
they  are  as  much  attached  to  it  as  the  first  people 
are  to  theirs.  This  phenomenon  is  repeated  all 
over  the  world.  And  for  each  people  in  a  certain 
state  of  development  the  myths  and  beliefs  of  their 
neighbors  are  untrue,  because  the  personages  and 
actions  in  them  are  not  identical  with  their  own, 
though  expressing  in  most  cases  identical  things  in 
a  different  way. 

It  is  only  when  we  come  to  examine  them  in  the 
light  of  the  general  principle  which  they  contain, 
each  in  its  own  special  form,  that  myths  reveal  the 
truth  that  is  in  them.  When  thus  treated  they 


Introduction.  3 1 


become  an  object  of  vast  interest,  and  a  source  of 
unceasing  delight  to  the  mind. 

The  time,  perhaps,  may  not  be  so  distant  when, 
on  the  basis  of  correct  information,  the  erroneous 
opinions  on  myths  and  mythology  now  held  by 
most  men  will  be  reversed,  —  a  thing  quite  possible 
in  this  America  of  ours,  where  the  printed  word  is 
so  far  reaching  and  so  strong. 


JEREMIAH  CURTIN. 


HOOPA  VALLEY,  HUMBOLDT  COUNTY, 
CALIFORNIA,  1889. 


THE   SON   OF  THE   KING  OF   ERIN   AND 
THE   GIANT   OF   LOCH   LEIN.1 

ON  a  time  there  lived  a  king  and  a  queen  in 
Erin,  and  they  had  an  only  son.  They 
were  very  careful  and  fond  of  this  son ;  whatever 
he  asked  for  was  granted,  and  what  he  wanted  he 
had. 

When  grown  to  be  almost  a  young  man  the  son 
went  away  one  day  to  the  hills  to  hunt.  He  could 
find  no  game,  —  saw  nothing  all  day.  Towards 
evening  he  sat  down  on  a  hillside  to  rest,  but  soon 
stood  up  again  and  started  to  go  home  empty- 
handed.  Then  he  heard  a  whistle  behind  him,  and 
turning,  saw  a  giant  hurrying  down  the  hill. 

The  giant  came  to  him,  took  his  hand,  and  said : 
"  Can  you  play  cards?  " 

"  I  can  indeed,"  said  the  king's  son. 

"  Well,  if  you  can,"  said  the  giant,  "  we  '11  have 
a  game  here  on  this  hillside." 

So  the  two  sat  down,  and  the  giant  had  out  a 
pack  of  cards  in  a  twinkling.  "  What  shall  we  play 
for?  "  asked  the  giant. 

1  Loch  L£in,  former  name  of  one  of  the  Lakes  of  Killarney. 


The  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin,  etc.       33 

"  For  two  estates,"  answered  the  king's  son. 

They  played :  the  young  man  won,  and  went 
home  the  better  for  two  estates.  He  was  very 
glad,  and  hurried  to  tell  his  father  the  luck  he  had. 

Next  day  he  went  to  the  same  place,  and  did  n't 
wait  long  till  the  giant  came  again. 

"  Welcome,  king's  son,"  said  the  giant.  "  What 
shall  we  play  for  to-day?  " 

"  I  '11  leave  that  to  yourself,"  answered  the  young 
man. 

"  Well,"  said  the  giant,  "  I  have  five  hundred 
bullocks  with  golden  horns  and  silver  hoofs,  and 
I  '11  play  them  against  as  many  cattle  belonging  to 
you." 

"  Agreed,"  said  the  king's  son. 

They  played.  The  giant  lost  again.  He  had 
the  cattle  brought  to  the  place ;  and  the  king's  son 
went  home  with  the  five  hundred  bullocks.  The 
king  his  father  was  outside  watching,  and  was  more 
delighted  than  the  day  before  when  he  saw  the 
drove  of  beautiful  cattle  with  horns  of  gold  and 
hoofs  of  silver. 

When  the  bullocks  were  driven  in,  the  king  sent 
for  the  old  blind  sage  (Sean  dall  Glic),  to  know 
what  he  would  say  of  the  young  man's  luck. 

"  My  advice,"  said  the  old  blind  sage,  "  is  not  to 
let  your  son  go  the  way  of  the  giant  again,  for  if 
he  plays  with  him  a  third  time  he  '11  rue  it." 

3 


34       Myths  and  Folk-L  ore  of  Ireland. 

But  nothing  could  keep  the  king's  son  from 
playing  the  third  time.  Away  he  went,  in  spite  of 
every  advice  and  warning,  and  sat  on  the  same 
hillside. 

He  waited  long,  but  no  one  came.  At  last  he 
rose  to  go  home.  That  moment  he  heard  a  whistle 
behind  him,  and  turning,  saw  the  giant  coming. 

"Well,  will  you  play  with  me  to-day?"  asked 
the  giant. 

"  I  would,"  said  the  king's  son,  "  but  I  have 
nothing  to  bet." 

"  You  have  indeed." 

"  I  have  not,"  said  the  king's  son. 

"  Haven't  you  your  head?  "  asked  the  giant  of 
Loch  L6in,  for  it  was  he  that  was  in  it. 

"  I  have,"  answered  the  king's  son. 

"So  have  I  my  head,"  said  the  giant;  "and 
we  '11  play  for  each  other's  heads." 

This  third  time  the  giant  won  the  game ;  and 
the  king's  son  was  to  give  himself  up  in  a  year 
and  a  day  to  the  giant  in  his  castle. 

The  young  man  went  home  sad  and  weary. 
The  king  and  queen  were  outside  watching,  and 
when  they  saw  him  approaching,  they  knew  great 
trouble  was  on  him.  When  he  came  to  where  they 
were,  he  would  n't  speak,  but  went  straight  into  the 
castle,  and  would  n't  eat  or  drink. 

He  was  sad  and  lamenting  for  a  good  while,  till 


The  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin,  etc.       35 


at  last  he  disappeared  one  day,  the  king  and  queen 
knew  not  whither.  After  that  they  did  n't  hear  of 
him, —  did  n't  know  was  he  dead  or  alive. 

The  young  man  after  he  left  home  was  walking 
along  over  the  kingdom  for  a  long  time.  One  day 
he  saw  no  house,  big  or  little,  till  after  dark  he 
came  in  front  of  a  hill,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  hill 
saw  a  small  light.  He  went  to  the  light,  found  a 
small  house,  and  inside  an  old  woman  sitting  at  a 
warm  fire,  and  every  tooth  in  her  head  as  long  as 
a  staff. 

She  stood  up  when  he  entered,  took  him  by  the 
hand,  and  said,  "  You  are  welcome  to  my  house, 
son  of  the  king  of  Erin."  Then  she  brought  warm 
water,  washed  his  feet  and  legs  from  the  knees 
down,  gave  him  supper,  and  put  him  to  bed. 

When  he  rose  next  morning  he  found  breakfast 
ready  before  him.  The  old  woman  said :  "  You 
were  with  me  last  night ;  you  '11  be  with  my  sister 
to-night,  and  what  she  tells  you  to  do,  do,  or  your 
head  '11  be  in  danger.  Now  take  the  gift  I  give 
you.  Here  is  a  ball  of  thread :  do  you  throw  it  in 
front  of  you  before  you  start,  and  all  day  the  ball 
will  be  rolling  ahead  of  you,  and  you  '11  be  follow- 
ing behind  winding  the  thread  into  another  ball." 

He  obeyed  the  old  woman,  threw  the  ball  down, 
and  followed.  All  the  day  he  was  going  up  hill 
and  down,  across  valleys  and  open  places,  keeping 


36        Myths  and  Folk-L  ore  of  Ireland. 

the  ball  in  sight  and  winding  the  thread  as  he  went, 
till  evening,  when  he  saw  a  hill  in  front,  and  a 
small  light  at  the  foot  of  it. 

He  went  to  the  light  and  found  a  house,  which 
he  entered.  There  was  no  one  inside  but  an  old 
woman  with  teeth  as  long  as  a  crutch. 

"  Oh  !  then  you  are  welcome  to  my  house,  king's 
son  of  Erin,"  said  she.  "  You  were  with  my  sister 
last  night ;  you  are  with  me  to-night ;  and  it 's  glad 
I  am  to  see  you." 

She  gave  him  meat  and  drink  and  a  good  bed  to 
lie  on. 

When  he  rose  next  morning  breakfast  was  there 
before  him,  and  when  he  had  eaten  and  was  ready 
for  the  journey,  the  old  woman  gave  him  a  ball  of 
thread,  saying:  "  You  were  with  my  younger  sister 
the  night  before  last;  you  were  with  me  last  night; 
and  you  '11  be  with  my  elder  sister  to-night.  You 
must  do  what  she  tells  you,  or  you  '11  lose  your 
head.  You  must  throw  this  ball  before  you,  and 
follow  the  clew  till  evening." 

He  threw  down  the  ball :  it  rolled  on,  showing 
the  way  up  and  down  mountains  and  hills,  across 
valleys  and  braes.  All  day  he  wound  the  ball; 
unceasingly  it  went  till  nightfall,  when  he  came  to  a 
light,  found  a  little  house,  and  went  in.  Inside  was 
an  old  woman,  the  eldest  sister,  who  said  :  "  You  are 
welcome,  and  glad  am  I  to  see  you,  king's  son." 


The  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin ,  etc.       37 

She  treated  him  as  well  as  the  other  two  had 
done.  After  he  had  eaten  breakfast  next  morning, 
she  said :  — 

"  I  know  well  the  journey  you  are  on.  You 
have  lost  your  head  to  the  Giant  of  Loch  L£in,  and 
you  are  going  to  give  yourself  up.  This  giant  has 
a  great  castle.  Around  the  castle  are  seven  hun- 
dred iron  spikes,  and  on  every  spike  of  them  but 
one  is  the  head  of  a  king,  a  queen,  or  a  king's  son. 
The  seven  hundredth  spike  is  empty,  and  nothing 
can  save  your  head  from  that  spike  if  you  don't 
take  my  advice. 

"  Here  is  a  ball  for  you :  walk  behind  it  till  you 
come  to  a  lake  near  the  giant's  castle.  When 
you  come  to  that  lake  at  midday  the  ball  will  be 
unwound. 

"  The  giant  has  three  young  daughters,  and  they 
come  at  noon  every  day  of  the  year  to  bathe  in  the 
lake.  You  must  watch  them  well,  for  each  will 
have  a  lily  on  her  breast,  —  one  a  blue,  another  a 
white,  and  the  third  a  yellow  lily.  You  mustn't 
let  your  eyes  off  the  one  with  the  yellow  lily. 
Watch  her  well :  when  she  undresses  to  go  into  the 
water,  see  where  she  puts  her  clothes ;  when  the 
three  are  out  in  the  lake  swimming,  do  you  slip 
away  with  the  clothes  of  Yellow  Lily. 

"  When  the  sisters  come  out  from  bathing,  and 
find  that  the  one  with  the  yellow  lily  has  lost  her 


38        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

clothes,  the  other  two  will  laugh  and  make  game 
of  her,  and  she  will  crouch  down  crying  on  the 
shore,  with  nothing  to  cover  her,  and  say,  '  How 
can  I  go  home  now,  and  everybody  making  sport 
of  me?  Whoever  took  my  clothes,  if  he'll  give 
them  back  to  me,  I  "11  save  him  from  the  danger  he 
is  in,  if  I  have  the  power.'  " 

The  king's  son  followed  the  ball  till  nearly  noon, 
when  it  stopped  at  a  lake  not  far  from  the  giant's 
castle.  Then  he  hid  behind  a  rock  at  the  water's 
edge,  and  waited. 

At  midday  the  three  sisters  came  to  the  lake, 
and,  leaving  their  clothes  on  the  strand,  went  into 
the  water.  When  all  three  were  in  the  lake  swim- 
ming and  playing  with  great  pleasure  and  sport, 
the  king's  son  slipped  out  and  took  the  clothes  of 
the  sister  with  the  yellow  lily. 

After  they  had  bathed  in  the  lake  to  their  hearts' 
content,  the  three  sisters  came  out.  When  the 
two  with  the  blue  and  the  white  lilies  saw  their 
sister  on  the  shore  and  her  clothes  gone,  they 
began  to  laugh  and  make  sport  of  her.  Then, 
cowering  and  crouching  down,  she  began  to  cry 
and  lament,  saying:  "How  can  I  go  home  now, 
with  my  own  sisters  laughing  at  me?  If  I  stir 
from  this,  everybody  will  see  me  and  make  sport 
of  me." 

The  sisters  went  home  and  left  her  there.    When 


The  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin,  etc.       39 

they  were  gone,  and  she  was  alone  at  the  water 
crying  and  sobbing,  all  at  once  she  came  to  herself 
and  called  out:  "Whoever  took  my  clothes,  I'll 
forgive  him  if  he  brings  them  to  me  now,  and 
I  '11  save  him  from  the  danger  he  is  in  if  I 
can." 

When  he  heard  this,  the  king's  son  put  the 
clothes  out  to  her,  and  stayed  behind  himself  till 
she  told  him  to  come  forth. 

Then  she  said :  "I  know  well  where  you  are 
going.  My  father,  the  Giant  of  Loch  Lein,  has  a 
soft  bed  waiting  for  you,  —  a  deep  tank  of  water 
for  your  death.  But  don't  be  uneasy;  go  into 
the  water,  and  wait  till  I  come  to  save  you.  Be  at 
that  castle  above  before  my  father.  When  he 
comes  home  to-night  and  asks  for  you,  take  no 
meat  from  him,  but  go  to  rest  in  the  tank  when 
he  tells  you." 

The  giant's  daughter  left  the  king's  son,  who 
went  his  way  to  the  castle  alone  at  a  fair  and  easy 
gait,  for  he  had  time  enough  on  his  hands  and  to 
spare. 

When  the  Giant  of  Loch  L6in  came  home  that 
night,  the  first  question  he  asked  was,  "  Is  the  son 
of  the  king  of  Erin  here?  " 

"  I  am,"  said  the  king's  son. 

"  Come,"  said  the  giant  '  .  nd  get  your  evening's 
meat." 


40       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  I  '11  take  no  meat  now,  for  I  don't  need  it," 
said  the  king's  son. 

"  Well,  come  with  me  then,  and  I  '11  show  you 
your  bed."  He  went,  and  the  giant  put  the  king's 
son  into  the  deep  tank  of  water  to  drown,  and  be- 
ing tired  himself  from  hunting  all  day  over  the 
mountains  and  hills  of  Erin,  he  went  to  sleep. 

That  minute  his  youngest  daughter  came,  took 
the  king's  son  out  of  the  tank,  placed  plenty  to  eat 
and  to  drink  before  him,  and  gave  him  a  good  bed 
to  sleep  on  that  night. 

The  giant's  daughter  watched  till  she  heard  her 
father  stirring  before  daybreak;  then  she  roused 
the  king's  son,  and  put  him  in  the  tank  again. 

Soon  the  giant  came  to  the  tank  and  called  out : 
"  Are  you  here,  son  of  the  king  of  Erin?" 

"  I  am,"  said  the  king's  son. 

"  Well,  come  out  now.  There  is  a  great  work 
for  you  to-day.  I  have  a  stable  outside,  in  which 
I  keep  five  hundred  horses,  and  that  stable  has  not 
been  cleaned  these  seven  hundred  years.  My 
great-grandmother  when  a  girl  lost  a  slumber-pin 
(bar  an  suan)  somewhere  in  that  stable,  and  never 
could  find  it.  You  must  have  that  pin  for  me 
when  I  come  home  to-night;  if  you  don't,  your 
head  will  be  on  the  seven  hundredth  spike  to- 
morrow." 

Then  two  shovels  were  brought  for  him  to  choose 


The  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin,  etc.       4 1 

from  to  clean  out  the  stable,  an  old  and  a  new 
one.  He  chose  the  new  shovel,  and  went  to 
work. 

For  every  shovelful  he  threw  out,  two  came 
in ;  and  soon  the  door  of  the  stable  was  closed 
on  him.  When  the  stable-door  was  closed,  the 
giant's  daughter  called  from  outside :  "  How  are 
you  thriving  now,  king's  son?  " 

"I'm  not  thriving  at  all,"  said  the  king's  son; 
"  for  as  much  as  I  throw  out,  twice  as  much  comes 
in,  and  the  door  is  closed  against  me." 

"  You  must  make  a  way  for  me  to  come  in,  and 
I  '11  help  you,"  said  she. 

"  How  can  I  do  that?  "  asked  the  king's  son. 

However,  she  did  it.  The  giant's  daughter  made 
her  way  into  the  stable,  and  she  was  n't  long  in- 
side till  the  stable  was  cleared,  and  she  saw  the 
bar  an  suan. 

"  There  is  the  pin  over  there  in  the  corner," 
said  she  to  the  king's  son,  who  put  it  in  his  bosom 
to  give  to  the  giant. 

Now  he  was  happy,  and  the  giant's  daughter  had 
good  meat  and  drink  put  before  him. 

When  the  giant  himself  came  home,  he  asked : 
"  How  did  you  do  your  work  to-day?  " 

"  I  did  it  well ;    I  thought  nothing  of  it." 

"  Did  you  find  the  bar  an  suan?" 

"  I  did  indeed ;   here  't  is  for  you." 


42        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Oh !  then,"  said  the  giant,  "  it  is  either  the 
devil  or  my  daughter  that  helped  you  to  do  that 
work,  for  I  know  you  never  did  it  alone." 

"  It 's  neither  the  devil  nor  your  daughter,  but  my 
own  strength  that  did  the  work,"  said  the  son  of 
the  king  of  Erin. 

"  You  have  done  the  work ;  now  you  must  have 
your  meat." 

"  I  want  no  meat  to-day;  I  am  well  satisfied  as  I 
am,"  said  the  king's  son. 

"  Well,"  said  the  giant,  "  since  you  '11  have  no 
meat,  you  must  go  to  sleep  in  the  tank." 

He  went  into  the  tank.  The  giant  himself  was 
soon  snoring,  for  he  was  tired  from  hunting  over 
Erin  all  day. 

The  moment  her  father  was  away,  Yellow  Lily 
came,  took  the  king's  son  out  of  the  tank,  gave 
him  a  good  supper  and  bed,  and  watched  till  the 
giant  was  stirring  before  daybreak.  Then  she 
roused  the  king's  son  and  put  him  in  the  tank. 

"Are  you  alive  in  the  tank?  "  asked  the  giant  at 
daybreak. 

"  I  am,"  said  the  king's  son. 

"  Well,  you  have  a  great  work  before  you  to-day. 
That  stable  you  cleaned  yesterday  has  n't  been 
thatched  these  seven  hundred  years,  and  if  you 
don't  have  it  thatched  for  me  when  I  come  home 
to-night,  with  birds'  feathers,  and  not  two  feathers 


The  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin,  etc.       43 

of  one  color  or  kind,  I  '11  have  your  head  on  the 
seven  hundredth  spike  to-morrow." 

"  Here  are  two  whistles,  —  an  old,  and  a  new  one  ; 
take  your  choice  of  them  to  call  the  birds." 

The  king's  son  took  the  new  whistle,  and  set  out 
over  the  hills  and  valleys,  whistling  as  he  went. 
But  no  matter  how  he  whistled,  not  a  bird  came 
near  him.  At  last,  tired  and  worn  out  with  travel- 
ling and  whistling,  he  sat  down  on  a  hillock  and 
began  to  cry. 

That  moment  Yellow  Lily  was  at  his  side  with  a 
cloth,  which  she  spread  out,  and  there  was  a  grand 
meal  before  him.  He  had  n't  finished  eating  and 
drinking,  before  the  stable  was  thatched  with  birds' 
feathers,  and  no  two  of  them  of  one  color  or  kind. 

When  he  came  home  that  evening  the  giant 
called  out:  "  Have  you  the  stable  thatched  for  me 
to-night?" 

"  I  have  indeed,"  said  the  king's  son ;  "  and  small 
trouble  I  had  with  it." 

"  If  that 's  true,"  said  the  giant,  "  either  the  devil 
or  my  daughter  helped  you." 

"  It  was  my  own  strength,  and  not  the  devil  or 
your  daughter  that  helped  me,"  said  the  king's 
son. 

He  spent  that  night  as  he  had  the  two  nights 
before. 

Next  morning,  when  the  giant  found  him  alive  in 


44        Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 


the  tank,  he  said  :  "  There  is  great  work  before  you 
to-day,  which  you  must  do,  or  your  head  '11  be  on 
the  spike  to-morrow.  Below  here,  under  my  castle, 
is  a  tree  nine  hundred  feet  high,  and  there  is  n't  a 
limb  on  that  tree,  from  the  roots  up,  except  one 
small  limb  at  the  very  top,  where  there  is  a  crow's 
nest.  The  tree  is  covered  with  glass  from  the 
ground  to  the  crow's  nest.  In  the  nest  is  one  egg : 
you  must  have  that  egg  before  me  here  for  my 
supper  to-night,  or  I  '11  have  your  head  on  the 
seven  hundredth  spike  to-morrow." 

The  giant  went  hunting,  and  the  king's  son  went 
down  to  the  tree,  tried  to  shake  it,  but  could  not 
make  it  stir.  Then  he  tried  to  climb ;  but  no  use,  it 
was  all  slippery  glass.  Then  he  thought,  "  Sure  I  'm 
done  for  now;  I  must  lose  my  head  this  time." 

He  stood  there  in  sadness,  when  Yellow  Lily 
came,  and  said :  "  How  are  you  thriving  in  your 
work?" 

"  I  can  do  nothing,"  said  the  king's  son. 

"  Well,  all  that  we  have  done  up  to  this  time  is 
nothing  to  climbing  this  tree.  But  first  of  all  let 
us  sit  down  together  and  eat,  and  then  we  '11  talk," 
said  Yellow  Lily. 

They  sat  down,  she  spread  the  cloth  again,  and 
they  had  a  splendid  feast.  When  the  feast  was 
over  she  took  out  a  knife  from  her  pocket  and 
said :  — 


The  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin,  etc.       45 

"  Now  you  must  kill  me,  strip  the  flesh  from  my 
bones,  take  all  the  bones  apart,  and  use  them  as 
steps  for  climbing  the  tree.  When  you  are  climb- 
ing the  tree,  they  will  stick  to  the  glass  as  if  they 
had  grown  out  of  it;  but  when  you  are  coming 
down,  and  have  put  your  foot  on  each  one,  they  will 
drop  into  your  hand  when  you  touch  them.  Be 
sure  and  stand  on  each  bone,  leave  none  untouched  ; 
if  you  do,  it  will  stay  behind.  Put  all  my  flesh  into 
this  clean  cloth  by  the  side  of  the  spring  at  the 
roots  of  the  tree.  When  you  come  to  the  earth, 
arrange  my  bones  together,  put  the  flesh  over 
them,  sprinkle  it  with  water  from  the  spring,  and 
I  shall  be  alive  and  well  before  you.  But  don't 
forget  a  bone  of  me  on  the  tree." 

"  How  could  I  kill  you,"  asked  the  king's  son, 
"  after  what  you  have  done  for  me?  " 

"  If  you  won't  obey,  you  and  I  are  done  for," 
said  Yellow  Lily.  "  You  must  climb  the  tree,  or 
we  are  lost ;  and  to  climb  the  tree  you  must  do  as 
I  say." 

The  king's  son  obeyed.  He  killed  Yellow  Lily, 
cut  the  flesh  from  her  body,  and  unjointed  the 
bones,  as  she  had  told  him. 

As  he  went  up,  the  king's  son  put  the  bones  of 
Yellow  Lily's  body  against  the  side  of  the  tree, 
using  them  as  steps,  till  he  came  under  the  nest 
and  stood  on  the  last  bone. 


46        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Then  he  took  the  crow's  egg;  and  coming  down, 
put  his  foot  on  every  bone,  then  took  it  with  him, 
till  he  came  to  the  last  bone,  which  was  so  near 
the  ground  that  he  failed  to  touch  it  with  his 
foot. 

He  now  placed  all  the  bones  of  Yellow  Lily  in 
order  again  at  the  side  of  the  spring,  put  the  flesh 
on  them,  sprinkled  it  with  water  from  the  spring. 
She  rose  up  before  him,  and  said :  "  Did  n't  I  tell 
you  not  to  leave  a  bone  of  my  body  without  step- 
ping on  it  ?  Now  I  am  lame  for  life !  You  left 
my  little  toe  on  the  tree  without  touching  it,  and 
I  have  but  nine  toes." 

When  the  giant  came  home  that  night,  the  first 
words  he  had  were,  "  Have  you  the  crow's  egg 
for  my  supper?  " 

"  I  have,"  said  the  king's  son. 

"  If  you  have,  then  either  the  devil  or  my  daugh- 
ter is  helping  you." 

"  It  is  my  own  strength  that 's  helping  me,"  said 
the  king's  son. 

"  Well,  whoever  it  is,  I  must  forgive  you  now, 
and  your  head  is  your  own." 

So  the  king's  son  was  free  to  go  his  own  road, 
and  away  he  went,  and  never  stopped  till  he  came 
home  to  his  own  father  and  mother,  who  had  a 
great  welcome  before  him ;  and  why  not  ?  for  they 
thought  he  was  dead. 


The  Son  of  tke  King  of  Erin,  etc.       47 

When  the  son  was  at  home  a  time,  the  king 
called  up  the  old  blind  sage,  and  asked,  "  What 
must  I  do  with  my  son  now?" 

"  If  you  follow  my  advice,"  said  the  old  blind 
sage,  "  you  '11  find  a  wife  for  him ;  and  then  he  '11 
not  go  roaming  away  again,  and  leave  you  as  he 
did  before." 

The  king  was  pleased  with  the  advice,  and  he 
sent  a  message  to  the  king  of  Lochlin  l  to  ask  his 
daughter  in  marriage. 

The  king  of  Lochlin  came  with  the  daughter 
and  a  ship  full  of  attendants,  and  there  was  to  be  a 
grand  wedding  at  the  castle  of  the  king  of  Erin. 

Now,  the  king's  son  asked  his  father  to  invite 
the  Giant  of  Loch  Lein  and  Yellow  Lily  to  the 
wedding.  The  king  sent  messages  for  them  to 
come. 

The  day  before  the  marriage  there  was  a  great 
feast  at  the  castle.  As  the  feast  went  on,  and  all 
were  merry,  the  Giant  of  Loch  L£in  said :  "  I 
never  was  at  a  place  like  this  but  one  man  sang  a 
song,  a  second  told  a  story,  and  the  third  played 
a  trick." 

Then  the  king  of  Erin  sang  a  song,  the  king 
of  Lochlin  told  a  story,  and  when  the  turn  came 
to  the  giant,  he  asked  Yellow  Lily  to  take  his 
place. 

1  Lochlin,  —  Denmark. 


48        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

She  threw  two  grains  of  wheat  in  the  air,  and 
there  came  down  on  the  table  two  pigeons.  The 
cock  pigeon  pecked  at  the  hen  and  pushed  her  off 
the  table.  Then  the  hen  called  out  to  him  in  a 
human  voice,  "  You  would  n't  do  that  to  me  the 
day  I  cleaned  the  stable  for  you." 

Next  time  Yellow  Lily  put  two  grains  of  wheat 
on  the  table.  The  cock  ate  the  wheat,  pecked  the 
hen,  and  pushed  her  off  the  table  to  the  floor. 
The  hen  said :  "  You  would  not  do  that  to  me  the 
day  I  thatched  the  stable  for  you  with  birds'  feath- 
ers, and  not  two  of  one  color  or  kind." 

The  third  time  Yellow  Lily  put  two  more  grains 
of  wheat  on  the  table.  The  cock  ate  both,  and 
pushed  the  hen  off  to  the  floor.  Then  the  hen 
called  out:  "You  wouldn't  do  that  to  me  the  day 
you  killed  me  and  took  my  bones  to  make  steps 
up  the  glass  tree  nine  hundred  feet  high  to  get  the 
crow's  egg  for  the  supper  of  the  Giant  of  Loch 
L6in,  and  forget  my  little  toe  when  you  were 
coming  down,  and  left  me  lame  for  life." 

"  Well,"  said  the  king's  son  to  the  guests  at  the 
feast,  "  when  I  was  a  little  younger  than  I  am  now, 
I  used  to  be  everywhere  in  the  world  sporting  and 
gaming ;  and  once  when  I  was  away,  I  lost  the  key 
of  a  casket  that  I  had.  I  had  a  new  key  made, 
and  after  it  was  brought  to  me  I  found  the  old 
one.  Now,  I  '11  leave  it  to  any  one  here  to  tell 


The  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin,  etc.       49 

what  am  I  to  do,  —  which  of  the  keys  should  7 
keep?" 

"  My  advice  to  you,"  said  the  king  of  Lochlin, 
"  is  to  keep  the  old  key,  for  it  fits  the  lock  better, 
and  you  're  more  used  to  it." 

Then  the  king's  son  stood  up  and  said :  "  I  thank 
you,  king  of  Lochlin,  for  a  wise  advice  and  an 
honest  word.  This  is  my  bride,  the  daughter  of  the 
Giant  of  Loch  Lein.  I  '11  have  her,  and  no  other 
woman.  Your  daughter  is  my  father's  guest,  and 
no  worse,  but  better,  for  having  come  to  a  wedding 
in  Erin." 

The  king's  son  married  Yellow  Lily,  daughter 
of  the  Giant  of  Loch  Le"in,  the  wedding  lasted 
long,  and  all  were  happy. 


THE  THREE   DAUGHTERS   OF   KING 
O'HARA. 

'"INHERE  was  a  king  in  Desmond  whose  name 
^-  was  Coluath  O'Hara,  and  he  had  three 
daughters.  On  a  time  when  the  king  was  away 
from  home,  the  eldest  daughter  took  a  thought 
that  she  'd  like  to  be  married.  So  she  went  up  in 
the  castle,  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness  which  her 
father  had,  and  wished  for  the  most  beautiful  man 
under  the  sun  as  a  husband  for  herself. 

She  got  her  wish ;  for  scarcely  had  she  put  off 
the  cloak  of  darkness,  when  there  came,  in  a  golden 
coach  with  four  horses,  two  black  and  two  white, 
the  finest  man  she  had  ever  laid  eyes  on,  and  took 
her  away. 

When  the  second  daughter  saw  what  had  hap- 
pened to  her  sister,  she  put  on  the  cloak  of  dark- 
ness, and  wished  for  the  next  best  man  in  the 
world  as  a  husband. 

She  put  off  the  cloak ;  and  straightway  there 
came,  in  a  golden  coach  with  four  black  horses,  a 
man  nearly  as  good  as  the  first,  and  took  her 
away. 


The  Daughters  of  King  O1  Hara.        5 1 

The  third  sister  put  on  the  cloak,  and  wished  for 
the  best  white  dog  in  the  world. 

Presently  he  came,  with  one  man  attending,  in  a 
golden  coach  and  four  snow-white  horses,  and  took 
the  youngest  sister  away. 

When  the  king  came  home,  the  stable-boy  told 
him  what  had  happened  while  he  was  gone.  He 
was  enraged  beyond  measure  when  he  heard  that 
his  youngest  daughter  had  wished  for  a  white  dog, 
and  gone  off  with  him. 

When  the  first  man  brought  his  wife  home  he 
asked :  "  In  what  form  will  you  have  me  in  the 
daytime,  —  as  I  am  now  in  the  daytime,  or  as  I  am 
now  at  night?  " 

"  As  you  are  now  in  the  daytime." 

So  the  first  sister  had  her  husband  as  a  man  in 
the  daytime ;  but  at  night  he  was  a  seal. 

The  second  man  put  the  same  question  to  the 
middle  sister,  and  got  the  same  answer;  so  the 
second  sister  had  her  husband  in  the  same  form  as 
the  first. 

When  the  third  sister  came  to  where  the  white 
dog  lived,  he  asked  her:  "  How  will  you  have  me 
to  be  in  the  daytime,  —  as  I  am  now  in  the  day, 
or  as  I  am  now  at  night?  " 

"  As  you  are  now  in  the  day." 

So  the  white  dog  was  a  dog  in  the  daytime,  but 
the  most  beautiful  of  men  at  night. 


52        Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

After  a  time  the  third  sister  had  a  son;  and 
one  day,  when  her  husband  was  going  out  to 
hunt,  he  warned  her  that  if  anything  should 
happen  the  child,  not  to  shed  a  tear  on  that 
account. 

While  he  was  gone,  a  great  gray  crow  that  used 
to  haunt  the  place  came  and  carried  the  child  away 
when  it  was  a  week  old. 

Remembering  the  warning,  she  shed  not  a  tear 
for  the  loss. 

All  went  on  as  before  till  another  son  was  born. 
The  husband  used  to  go  hunting  every  day,  and 
again  he  said  she  must  not  shed  a  tear  if  anything 
happened. 

When  the  child  was  a  week  old  a  great  gray 
crow  came  and  bore  him  away ;  but  the  mother 
did  not  cry  or  drop  a  tear. 

All  went  well  till  a  daughter  was  born.  When 
she  was  a  week  old  a  great  gray  crow  came  and 
swept  her  away.  This  time  the  mother  dropped 
one  tear  on  a  handkerchief,  which  she  took  out  of 
her  pocket,  and  then  put  back  again. 

When  the  husband  came  home  from  hunting 
and  heard  what  the  crow  had  done,  he  asked  the 
wife,  "  Have  you  shed  tears  this  time?  " 

"  I  have  dropped  one  tear,"  said  she. 

Then  he  was  very  angry ;  for  he  knew  what  harm 
she  had  done  by  dropping  that  one  tear. 


The  Daughters  of  King  O* Har a.        53 

Soon  after  their  father  invited  the  three  sisters 
to  visit  him  and  be  present  at  a  great  feast  in  their 
honor.  They  sent  messages,  each  from  her  own 
place,  that  they  would  come. 

The  king  was  very  glad  at  the  prospect  of  see- 
ing his  children ;  but  the  queen  was  grieved,  and 
thought  it  a  great  disgrace  that  her  youngest 
daughter  had  no  one  to  come  home  with  her  but 
a  white  dog. 

The  white  dog  was  in  dread  that  the  king 
would  n't  leave  him  inside  with  the  company,  but 
would  drive  him  from  the  castle  to  the  yard,  and 
that  the  dogs  outside  would  n't  leave  a  patch  of 
skin  on  his  back,  but  would  tear  the  life  out  of  him. 

The  youngest  daughter  comforted  him.  "  There 
is  no  danger  to  you,"  said  she,  "  for  wherever  I  am, 
you  '11  be,  and  wherever  you  go,  I  '11  follow  and 
take  care  of  you." 

When  all  was  ready  for  the  feast  at  the  castle,  and 
the  company  were  assembled,  the  king  was  for  ban- 
iching  the  white  dog;  but  the  youngest  daughter 
would  not  listen  to  her  father,  —  would  not  let  the 
white  dog  out  of  her  sight,  but  kept  him  near  her 
at  the  feast,  and  divided  with  him  the  food  that 
came  to  herself. 

When  the  feast  was  over,  and  all  the  guests  had 
gone,  the  three  sisters  went  to  their  own  rooms  in 
the  castle. 


54        Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

Late  in  the  evening  the  queen  took  the  cook 
with  her,  and  stole  in  to  see  what  was  in  her 
daughters'  rooms.  They  were  all  asleep  at  the 
time.  What  should  she  see  by  the  side  of  her 
youngest  daughter  but  the  most  beautiful  man  she 
had  ever  laid  eyes  on. 

Then  she  went  to  where  the  other  two  daughters 
were  sleeping;  and  there,  instead  of  the  two  men 
who  brought  them  to  the  feast,  were  two  seals, 
fast  asleep. 

The  queen  was  greatly  troubled  at  the  sight  of 
the  seals.  When  she  and  the  cook  were  returning, 
they  came  upon  the  skin  of  the  white  dog.  She 
caught  it  up  as  she  went,  and  threw  it  into  the 
kitchen  fire. 

The  skin  was  not  five  minutes  in  the  fire  when  it 
gave  a  crack  that  woke  not  only  all  in  the  castle, 
but  all  in  the  country  for  miles  around. 

The  husband  of  the  youngest  daughter  sprang 
up.  He  was  very  angry  and  very  sorry,  and  said  : 
"  If  I  had  been  able  to  spend  three  nights  with 
you  under  your  father's  roof,  I  should  have  got 
back  my  own  form  again  for  good,  and  could  have 
been  a  man  both  in  the  day  and  the  night;  but 
now  I  must  go." 

He  rose  from  the  bed,  ran  out  of  the  castle,  and 
away  he  went  as  fast  as  ever  his  two  legs  could  carry 
him,  overtaking  the  one  before  him,  and  leaving  the 


The  Daughters  of  King  O'Hara.        55 

one  behind.  He  was  this  way  all  that  night  and  the 
next  day;  but  he  could  n't  leave  the  wife,  for  she 
followed  from  the  castle,  was  after  him  in  the  night 
and  the  day  too,  and  never  lost  sight  of  him. 

In  the  afternoon  he  turned,  and  told  her  to  go 
back  to  her  father;  but  she  would  not  listen  to  him. 
At  nightfall  they  came  to  the  first  house  they  had 
seen  since  leaving  the  castle.  He  turned  and  said : 
"  Do  you  go  inside  and  stay  in  this  house  till  morn- 
ing; I  '11  pass  the  night  outside  where  I  am." 

The  wife  went  in.  The  woman  of  the  house  rose 
up,  gave  her  a  pleasant  welcome,  and  put  a  good 
supper  before  her.  She  was  not  long  in  the  house 
when  a  little  boy  came  to  her  knee  and  called  her 
"  mother." 

The  woman  of  the  house  told  the  child  to  go 
back  to  his  place,  and  not  to  come  out  again. 

"  Here  are  a  pair  of  scissors,"  said  the  woman  of 
the  house  to  the  king's  daughter,  "  and  they  will 
serve  you  well.  Whatever  ragged  people  you  see, 
if  you  cut  a  piece  off  their  rags,  that  moment  they 
will  have  new  clothes  of  cloth  of  gold." 

She  stayed  that  night,  for  she  had  good  welcome. 
Next  morning  when  she  went  out,  her  husband 
said :  "  You  'd  better  go  home  now  to  your 
father." 

"  I  '11  not  go  to  my  father  if  I  have  to  leave 
you,"  said  she. 


56        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

So  he  went  on,  and  she  followed.  It  was  that 
way  all  the  day  till  night  came;  and  at  nightfall 
they  saw  another  house  at  the  foot  of  a  hill,  and 
again  the  husband  stopped  and  said  :  "  You  go  in  ; 
I  '11  stop  outside  till  morning." 

The  woman  of  the  house  gave  her  a  good  wel- 
come. After  she  had  eaten  and  drunk,  a  little  boy 
came  out  of  another  room,  ran  to  her  knee,  and 
said,  "  Mother."  The  woman  of  the  house  sent  the 
boy  back  to  where  he  had  come  from,  and  told  him 
to  stay  there. 

Next  morning,  when  the  princess  was  going  out 
to  her  husband,  the  woman  of  the  house  gave  her  a 
comb,  and  said :  "  If  you  meet  any  person  with  a 
diseased  and  a  sore  head,  and  draw  this  comb  over 
it  three  times,  the  head  will  be  well,  and  covered 
with  the  most  beautiful  golden  hair  ever  seen." 

She  took  the  comb,  and  went  out  to  her  husband. 

"  Leave  me  now,"  said  he,  "  and  go  back  to  your 
own  father." 

"  I  will  not,"  said  she,  "  but  I  will  follow  you 
while  I  have  the  power."  So  they  went  forward 
that  day,  as  on  the  other  two. 

At  nightfall  they  came  to  a  third  house,  at  the 
foot  of  a  hill,  where  the  princess  received  a  good 
welcome.  After  she  had  eaten  supper,  a  little  girl 
with  only  one  eye  came  to  her  knee  and  said, 
"  Mother." 


The  Daughters  of  King  OHara.        57 

The  princess  began  to  cry  at  sight  of  the  child, 
thinking  that  she  herself  was  the  cause  that  it  had 
but  one  eye.  Then  she  put  her  hand  into  her 
pocket  where  she  kept  the  handkerchief  on  which 
she  had  dropped  the  tear  when  the  gray  crow 
carried  her  infant  away.  She  had  never  used  the 
handkerchief  since  that  day,  for  there  was  an  eye 
on  it. 

She  opened  the  handkerchief,  and  put  the  eye  in 
the  girl's  head.  It  grew  into  the  socket  that  min- 
ute, and  the  child  saw  out  of  it  as  well  as  out  of  the 
other  eye  ;  and  then  the  woman  of  the  house  sent 
the  little  one  to  bed. 

Next  morning,  as  the  king's  daughter  was  going 
out,  the  woman  of  the  house  gave  her  a  whistle,  and 
said :  "  Whenever  you  put  this  whistle  to  your 
mouth  and  blow  on  it,  all  the  birds  of  the  air  will 
come  to  you  from  every  quarter  under  the  sun. 
Be  careful  of  the  whistle,  as  it  may  serve  you 
greatly." 

"  Go  back  to  your  father's  castle,"  said  the  hus- 
band when  she  came  to  him,  "  for  I  must  leave  you 
to-day." 

They  went  on  together  a  few  hundred  yards,  and 
then  sat  on  a  green  hillock,  and  he  told  the  wife : 
"  Your  mother  has  come  between  us ;  but  for  her 
we  might  have  lived  together  all  our  days.  If  I  had 
been  allowed  to  pass  three  nights  with  you  in  your 


58        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

father's  house,  I  should  have  got  back  my  form 
of  a  man  both  in  the  daytime  and  the  night. 
The  Queen  of  Tir  na  n-Og  [the  land  of  youth]  en- 
chanted and  put  on  me  a  spell,  that  unless  I  could 
spend  three  nights  with  a  wife  under  her  father's 
roof  in  Erin,  I  should  bear  the  form  of  a  white 
dog  one  half  of  my  time ;  but  if  the  skin  of  the 
dog  should  be  burned  before  the  three  nights 
were  over,  I  must  go  down  to  her  kingdom  and 
marry  the  queen  herself.  And  't  is  to  her  I  am 
going  to-day.  I  have  no  power  to  stay,  and  I 
must  leave  you ;  so  farewell,  you  '11  never  see  me 
again  on  the  upper  earth." 

He  left  her  sitting  on  the  mound,  went  a  few 
steps  forward  to  some  bulrushes,  pulled  up  one, 
and  disappeared  in  the  opening  where  the  rush 
had  been. 

She  stopped  there,  sitting  on  the  mound  lament- 
ing, till  evening,  not  knowing  what  to  do.  At  last 
she  bethought  herself,  and  going  to  the  rushes, 
pulled  up  a  stalk,  went  down,  followed  her  hus- 
band, and  never  stopped  till  she  came  to  the  lower 
land. 

After  a  while  she  reached  a  small  house  near  a 
splendid  castle.  She  went  into  the  house  and  asked, 
could  she  stay  there  till  morning.  "  You  can,"  said 
the  woman  of  the  house,  "  and  welcome." 

Next  day  the  woman  of  the  house  was  washing 


The  Daughters  of  King  O'Hara.        59 

clothes,  for  that  was  how  she  made  a  living.  The 
princess  fell  to  and  helped  her  with  the  work. 
In  the  course  of  that  day  the  Queen  of  Tir  na  n-Og 
and  the  husband  of  the  princess  were  married. 

Near  the  castle,  and  not  far  from  the  washer- 
woman's, lived  a  henwife  with  two  ragged  little 
daughters.  One  of  them  came  around  the  washer- 
woman's house  to  play.  The  child  looked  so 
poor  and  her  clothes  were  so  torn  and  dirty  that 
the  princess  took  pity  on  her,  and  cut  the  clothes 
with  the  scissors  which  she  had. 

That  moment  the  most  beautiful  dress  of  cloth 
of  gold  ever  seen  on  woman  or  child  in  that  king- 
dom was  on  the  henwife's  daughter. 

When  she  saw  what  she  had  on,  the  child  ran 
home  to  her  mother  as  fast  as  ever  she  could  go. 

"Who  gave  you  that  dress?"  asked  the  hen- 
wife. 

"  A  strange  woman  that  is  in  that  house  be- 
yond," said  the  little  girl,  pointing  to  the  washer- 
woman's house. 

The  henwife  went  straight  to  the  Queen  of  Tir 
na  n-Og  and  said :  "  There  is  a  strange  woman  in 
the  place,  who  will  be  likely  to  take  your  husband 
from  you,  unless  you  banish  her  away  or  do  some- 
thing to  her ;  for  she  has  a  pair  of  scissors  differ- 
ent from  anything  ever  seen  or  heard  of  in  this 
country." 


60        Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

When  the  queen  heard  this  she  sent  word  to  the 
princess  that,  unless  the  scissors  were  given  up  to 
her  without  delay,  she  would  have  the  head  off 
her. 

The  princess  said  she  would  give  up  the  scissors 
if  the  queen  would  let  her  pass  one  night  with  her 
husband. 

The  queen  answered  that  she  was  willing  to  give 
her  the  one  night.  The  princess  came  and  gave 
up  the  scissors,  and  went  to  her  own  husband ;  but 
the  queen  had  given  him  a  drink,  and  he  fell  asleep, 
and  never  woke  till  after  the  princess  had  gone  in 
the  morning. 

Next  day  another  daughter  of  the  henwife  went 
to  the  washerwoman's  house  to  play.  She  was 
wretched-looking,  her  head  being  covered  with 
scabs  and  sores. 

The  princess  drew  the  comb  three  times  over  the 
child's  head,  cured  it,  and  covered  it  with  beautiful 
golden  hair.  The  little  girl  ran  home  and  told  her 
mother  how  the  strange  woman  had  drawn  the 
comb  over  her  head,  cured  it,  and  given  her  beau- 
tiful golden  hair. 

The  henwife  hurried  off  to  the  queen  and  said : 
"  That  strange  woman  has  a  comb  with  wonderful 
power  to  cure,  and  give  golden  hair;  and  she'll 
take  your  husband  from  you  unless  you  banish  her 
or  take  her  life." 


The  Daughters  of  King  O'Hara.       6 1 

The  queen  sent  word  to  the  princess  that  un- 
less she  gave  up  the  comb,  she  would  have  her 
life. 

The  princess  returned  as  answer  that  she  would 
give  up  the  comb  if  she  might  pass  one  night  with 
the  queen's  husband. 

The  queen  was  willing,  and  gave  her  husband  a 
draught  as  before.  When  the  princess  came,  he 
was  fast  asleep,  and  did  not  waken  till  after  she 
had  gone  in  the  morning. 

On  the  third  day  the  washerwoman  and  the 
princess  went  out  to  walk,  and  the  first  daughter 
of  the  henwife  with  them.  When  they  were  out- 
side the  town,  the  princess  put  the  whistle  to  her 
mouth  and  blew.  That  moment  the  birds  of  the 
air  flew  to  her  from  every  direction  in  flocks. 
Among  them  was  a  bird  of  song  and  new  tales. 

The  princess  went  to  one  side  with  the  bird. 
"  What  means  can  I  take,"  asked  she,  "  against 
the  queen  to  get  back  my  husband?  Is  it  best  to 
kill  her,  and  can  I  do  it?  " 

"  It  is  very  hard,"  said  the  bird,  "  to  kill  her. 
There  is  no  one  in  all  Tir  na  n-Og  who  is  able  to 
take  her  life  but  her  own  husband.  Inside  a  holly- 
tree  in  front  of  the  castle  is  a  wether,  in  the  wether 
a  duck,  in  the  duck  an  egg,  and  in  that  egg  is  her 
heart  and  life.  No  man  in  Tir  na  n-Og  can  cut  that 
holly-tree  but  her  husband." 


62        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

The  princess  blew  the  whistle  again.  A  fox  and 
a  hawk  came  to  her.  She  caught  and  put  them 
into  two  boxes,  which  the  washerwoman  had  with 
her,  and  took  them  to  her  new  home. 

When  the  henwife's  daughter  went  home,  she 
told  her  mother  about  the  whistle.  Away  ran  the 
henwife  to  the  queen,  and  said :  "  That  strange 
woman  has  a  whistle  that  brings  together  all  the 
birds  of  the  air,  and  she  '11  have  your  husband  yet, 
unless  you  take  her  head." 

"  I  '11  take  the  whistle  from  her,  anyhow,"  said 
the  queen.  So  she  sent  for  the  whistle. 

The  princess  gave  answer  that  she  would  give 
up  the  whistle  if  she  might  pass  one  night  with  the 
queen's  husband. 

The  queen  agreed,  and  gave  him  a  draught  as 
on  the  other  nights.  He  was  asleep  when  the 
princess  came  and  when  she  went  away. 

Before  going,  the  princess  left  a  letter  with  his 
servant  for  the  queen's  husband,  in  which  she  told 
how  she  had  followed  him  to  Tir  na  n-Og,  and  had 
given  the  scissors,  the  comb,  and  the  whistle,  to 
pass  three  nights  in  his  company,  but  had  not 
spoken  to  him  because  the  queen  had  given  him 
sleeping  draughts ;  that  the  life  of  the  queen  was 
in  an  egg,  the  egg  in  a  duck,  the  duck  in  a  wether, 
the  wether  in  a  holly-tree  in  front  of  the  castle, 
and  that  no  man  could  split  the  tree  but  himself. 


The  Daughters  of  King  OHara.        63 

As  soon  as  he  got  the  letter  the  husband  took 
an  axe,  and  went  to  the  holly-tree.  When  he 
came  to  the  tree  he  found  the  princess  there  be- 
fore him,  having  the  two  boxes  with  the  fox  and 
the  hawk  in  them. 

He  struck  the  tree  a  few  blows ;  it  split  open, 
and  out  sprang  the  wether.  He  ran  scarce  twenty 
perches  before  the  fox  caught  him.  The  fox  tore 
him  open ;  then  the  duck  flew  out.  The  duck 
had  not  flown  fifteen  perches  when  the  hawk 
caught  and  killed  her,  smashing  the  egg.  That 
instant  the  Queen  of  Tir  na  n-Og  died. 

The  husband  kissed  and  embraced  his  faithful 
wife.  He  gave  a  great  fcast ;  and  when  the  feast 
was  over,  he  burned  the  henwife  with  her  house, 
built  a  palace  for  the  washerwoman,  and  made  his 
servant  secretary. 

They  never  left  Tir  na  n-Og,  and  are  living  there 
happily  now ;  and  so  may  we  live  here. 


THE  WEAVER'S    SON    AND    THE   GIANT 
OF   THE   WHITE   HILL. 

THERE  was  once  a  weaver  in  Erin  who  lived 
at  the  edge  of  a  wood ;  and  on  a  time  when 
he  had  nothing  to  burn,  he  went  out  with  his 
daughter  to  get  fagots  for  the  fire. 

They  gathered  two  bundles,  and  were  ready  to 
carry  them  home,  when  who  should  come  along  but 
a  splendid-looking  stranger  on  horseback.  And  he 
said  to  the  weaver:  "  My  good  man,  will  you  give 
me  that  girl  of  yours?" 

"  Indeed  then  I  will  not,"  said  the  weaver. 

"  I  '11  give  you  her  weight  in  gold,"  said  the 
stranger,  and  he  put  out  the  gold  there  on  the 
ground. 

So  the  weaver  went  home  with  the  gold  and 
without  the  daughter.  He  buried  the  gold  in  the 
garden,  without  letting  his  wife  know  what  he  had 
done.  When  she  asked,  "  Where  is  our  daugh- 
ter? "  the  weaver  said:  "  I  sent  her  on  an  errand 
to  a  neighbor's  house  for  things  that  I  want." 

Night  came,  but  no  sight  of  the  girl.  The  next 
time  he  went  for  fagots,  the  weaver  took  his 


Weaver  s  Son  and  Giant  of  White  Hill,     65 

second  daughter  to  the  wood ;  and  when  they  had 
two  bundles  gathered,  and  were  ready  to  go  home, 
a  second  stranger  came  on  horseback,  much  finer 
than  the  first,  and  asked  the  weaver  would  he  give 
him  his  daughter. 

"  I  will  not,"  said  the  weaver. 

"  Well,"  said  the  stranger,  "  I  '11  give  you  her 
weight  in  silver  if  you  '11  let  her  go  with  me ;  "  and 
he  put  the  silver  down  before  him. 

The  weaver  carried  home  the  silver  and  buried 
it  in  the  garden  with  the  gold,  and  the  daughter 
went  away  with  the  man  on  horseback. 

When  he  went  again  to  the  wood,  the  weaver  took 
his  third  daughter  with  him ;  and  when  they  were 
ready  to  go  home,  a  third  man  came  on  horseback, 
gave  the  weight  of  the  third  daughter  in  copper, 
and  took  her  away.  The  weaver  buried  the  copper 
with  the  gold  and  silver. 

Now,  the  wife  was  lamenting  and  moaning  night 
and  day  for  her  three  daughters,  and  gave  the 
weaver  no  rest  till  he  told  the  whole  story. 

Now,  a  son  was  born  to  them ;  and  when  the  boy 
grew  up  and  was  going  to  school,  he  heard  how  his 
three  sisters  had  been  carried  away  for  their  weight 
i.n  gold  and  silver  and  copper ;  and  every  day  when 
he  came  home  he  saw  how  his  mother  was  lament- 
ing and  wandering  outside  in  grief  through  the 
fields  and  pits  and  ditches,  so  he  asked  her  what 

5 


66        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

trouble  was  on  her;    but  she  wouldn't  tell  him 
a  word. 

At  last  he  came  home  crying  from  school  one 
day,  and  said :  "  I  '11  not  sleep  three  nights  in  one 
house  till  I  find  my  three  sisters."  Then  he  said  to 
his  mother:  "  Make  me  three  loaves  of  bread, 
mother,  for  I  am  going  on  a  journey." 

Next  day  he  asked  had  she  the  bread  ready.  She 
said  she  had,  and  she  was  crying  bitterly  all  the 
time.  "  I  'm  going  to  leave  you  now,  mother," 
said  he ;  "  and  I  '11  come  back  when  I  have  found 
my  three  sisters." 

He  went  away,  and  walked  on  till  he  was  tired 
and  hungry;  and  then  he  sat  down  to  eat  the  bread 
that  his  mother  had  given  him,  when  a  red-haired 
man  came  up  and  asked  him  for  something  to  eat. 
"  Sit  down  here,"  said  the  boy.  He  sat  down, 
and  the  two  ate  till  there  was  not  a  crumb  of  the 
bread  left. 

The  boy  told  of  the  journey  he  was  on  ;  then  the 
red-haired  man  said:  "There  may  not  be  much 
use  in  your  going,  but  here  are  three  things  that  '11 
serve  you,  —  the  sword  of  sharpness,  the  cloth  of 
plenty,  and  the  cloak  of  darkness.  No  man  can 
kill  you  while  that  sword  is  in  your  hand  ;  and  when- 
ever you  are  hungry  or  dry,  all  you  have  to  do  is 
to  spread  the  cloth  and  ask  for  what  you  'd  like  to 
eat  or  drink,  and  it  will  be  there  before  you.  When 


Weavers  Son  and  Giant  of  White  Hill.     67 

you  put  on  the  cloak,  there  won't  be  a  man  or  a 
woman  or  a  living  thing  in  the  world  that  '11  see 
you,  and  you  '11  go  to  whatever  place  you  have  set 
your  mind  on  quicker  than  any  wind." 

The  red-haired  man  went  his  way,  and  the  boy 
travelled  on.  Before  evening  a  great  shower  came, 
and  he  ran  for  shelter  to  a  large  oak-tree.  When 
he  got  near  the  tree  his  foot  slipped,  the  ground 
opened,  and  down  he  went  through  the  earth  till 
he  came  to  another  country.  When  he  was  in  the 
other  country  he  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness  and 
went  ahead  like  a  blast  of  wind,  and  never  stopped 
till  he  saw  a  castle  in  the  distance ;  and  soon  he  was 
there.  But  he  found  nine  gates  closed  before  him, 
and  no  way  to  go  through.  It  was  written  snside 
the  cloak  of  darkness  that  his  eldest  sister  lived  in 
that  castle. 

He  was  not  long  at  the  gate  looking  in  when  a 
girl  came  to  him  and  said,  "  Go  on  out  of  that;  if 
you  don't,  you  '11  be  killed." 

"  Do  you  go  in,"  said  he  to  the  girl,  "  and  tell 
my  sister,  the  woman  of  this  castle,  to  come  out  to 
me." 

The  girl  ran  in ;  out  came  the  sister,  and  asked : 
"  Why  are  you  here,  and  what  did  you  come 
for?" 

"  I  have  come  to  this  country  to  find  my  three 
sisters,  who  were  given  away  by  my  father  for  their 


68        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

weight  in  gold,  silver,  and  copper;  and  you  are 
my  eldest  sister." 

She  knew  from  what  he  said  that  he  was  her 
brother,  so  she  opened  the  gates  and  brought 
him  in,  saying:  "  Don't  wonder  at  anything  you 
see  in  this  castle.  My  husband  is  enchanted.  I 
see  him  only  at  night.  He  goes  off  every  morn- 
ing, stays  away  all  day,  and  comes  home  in  the 
evening." 

The  sun  went  down  ;  and  while  they  were  talking, 
the  husband  rushed  in,  and  the  noise  of  him  was 
terrible.  He  came  in  the  form  of  a  ram,  ran  up 
stairs,  and  soon  after  came  down  a  man. 

"  Who  is  this  that 's  with  you  ?  "  asked  he  of  the 
wife. 

"  Oh !  that 's  my  brother,  who  has  come  from 
Erin  to  see  me,"  said  she. 

Next  morning,  when  the  man  of  the  castle  was 
going  off  in  the  form  of  a  ram,  he  turned  to  the 
boy  and  asked,  "  Will  you  stay  a  few  days  in  my 
castle?  You  are  welcome." 

"  Nothing  would  please  me  better,"  said  the 
boy;  "but  I  have  made  a  vow  never  to  sleep 
three  nights  in  one  house  till  I  have  found  my 
three  sisters." 

"  Well,"  said  the  ram,  "  since  you  must  go,  here 
is  something  for  you."  And  pulling  out  a  bit  of 
his  own  wool,  he  gave  it  to  the  boy,  saying:  "  Keep 


Weavers  Son  and  Giant  of  White  Hill.     69 

this;  and  whenever  a  trouble  is  on  you,  take  it  out, 
and  call  on  what  rams  are  in  the  world  to  help 
you." 

Away  went  the  ram.  The  boy  took  farewell  of 
his  sister,  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness,  and  disap- 
peared. He  travelled  till  hungry  and  tired,  then 
he  sat  down,  took  off  the  cloak  of  darkness,  spread 
the  cloth  of  plenty,  and  asked  for  meat  and  drink. 
After  he  had  eaten  and  drunk  his  fill,  he  took  up 
the  cloth,  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness,  and  went 
ahead,  passing  every  wind  that  was  before  him,  and 
leaving  every  wind  that  was  behind. 

About  an  hour  before  sunset  he  saw  the  castle 
in  which  his  second  sister  lived.  When  he  reached 
the  gate,  a  girl  came  out  to  him  and  said :  "  Go 
away  from  that  gate,  or  you  '11  be  killed." 

"  I  '11  not  leave  this  till  my  sister  who  lives  in 
the  castle  comes  out  and  speaks  to  me." 

The  girl  ran  in,  and  out  came  the  sister.  When 
she  heard  his  story  and  his  father's  name,  she  knew 
that  he  was  her  brother,  and  said :  "  Come  into  the 
castle,  but  think  nothing  of  what  you  '11  see  or 
hear.  I  don't  see  my  husband  from  morning  till 
night.  He  goes  and  comes  in  a  strange  form,  but 
he  is  a  man  at  night." 

About  sunset  there  was  a  terrible  noise,  and  in 
rushed  the  man  of  the  castle  in  the  form  of  a  tre- 
mendous salmon.  He  went  flapping  upstairs; 


70        Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

but  he  was  n't  long  there  till  he  came  down  a  fine- 
looking  man. 

"  Who  is  that  with  you?  "  asked  he  of  the  wife. 
".I  thought  you  would  let  no  one  into  the  castle 
while  I  was  gone." 

"  Oh !  this  is  my  brother,  who  has  come  to  see 
me,"  said  she. 

"  If  he  's  your  brother,  he  's  welcome,"  said  the 
man. 

They  supped,  and  then  slept  till  morning. 
When  the  man  of  the  castle  was  going  out  again,  in 
the  form  of  a  great  salmon,  he  turned  to  the  boy 
and  said:  "You'd  better  stay  here  with  us  a 
while." 

"  I  cannot,"  said  the  boy.  "  I  made  a  vow 
never  to  sleep  three  nights  in  one  house  till  I  had 
seen  my  three  sisters.  I  must  go  on  now  and  find 
my  third  sister." 

The  salmon  then  took  off  a  piece  of  his  fin  and 
gave  it  to  the  boy,  saying:  "  If  any  difficulty  meets 
you,  or  trouble  comes  on  you,  call  on  what  salmons 
are  in  the  sea  to  come  and  help  you." 

They  parted.  The  boy  put  on  his  cloak  of 
darkness,  and  away  he  went,  more  swiftly  than  any 
wind.  He  never  stopped  till  he  was  hungry  and 
thirsty.  Then  he  sat  down,  took  off  his  cloak 
of  darkness,  spread  the  cloth  of  plenty,  and  ate  his 
fill ;  when  he  had  eaten,  he  went  on  again  till  near 


Weavers  Son  and  Giant  of  White  Hill.     7 1 

sundown,  when  he  saw  the  castle  where  his  third 
sister  lived.  All  three  castles  were  near  the  sea. 
Neither  sister  knew  what  place  she  was  in,  and 
neither  knew  where  the  other  two  were  living. 

The  third  sister  took  her  brother  in  just  as  the 
first  and  second  had  done,  telling  him  not  to  won- 
der at  anything  he  saw. 

They  were  not  long  inside  when  a  roaring  noise 
was  heard,  and  in  came  the  greatest  eagle  that 
ever  was  seen.  The  eagle  hurried  upstairs,  and 
soon  came  down  a  man. 

"  Who  is  that  stranger  there  with  you?  "  asked 
he  of  the  wife.  (He,  as  well  as  the  ram  and  sal- 
mon, knew  the  boy;  he  only  wanted  to  try  his 
wife.) 

"  This  is  my  brother,  who  has  come  to  see  me." 

They  all  took  supper  and  slept  that  night. 
When  the  eagle  was  going  away  in  the  morning, 
he  pulled  a  feather  out  of  his  wing,  and  said  to 
the  boy :  "  Keep  this ;  it  may  serve  you.  If  you 
are  ever  in  straits  and  want  help,  call  on  what 
eagles  are  in  the  world,  and  they  '11  come  to 
you." 

There  was  no  hurry  now,  for  the  third  sister  was 
found ;  and  the  boy  went  upstairs  with  her  to  ex- 
amine the  country  all  around,  and  to  look  at  the 
sea.  Soon  he  saw  a  great  white  hill,  and  on  the 
top  of  the  hill  a  castle. 


72         Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  In  that  castle  on  the  white  hill  beyond,"  said 
the  sister,  "  lives  a  giant,  who  stole  from  her  home 
the  most  beautiful  young  woman  in  the  world. 
From  all  parts  the  greatest  heroes  and  champions 
and  kings'  sons  are  coming  to  take  her  away  from 
the  giant  and  marry  her.  There  is  not  a  man  of 
them  all  who  is  able  to  conquer  the  giant  and  free 
the  young  woman ;  but  the  giant  conquers  them, 
cuts  their  heads  off,  and  then  eats  their  flesh. 
When  he  has  picked  the  bones  clean,  he  throws 
them  out;  and  the  whole  place  around  the  castle 
is  white  with  the  bones  of  the  men  that  the  giant 
has  eaten." 

"  I  must  go,"  said  the  boy,  "  to  that  castle  to 
know  can  I  kill  the  giant  and  bring  away  the 
young  woman." 

So  he  took  leave  of  his  sister,  put  on  the  cloak 
of  darkness,  took  his  sword  with  him,  and  was  soon 
inside  the  castle.  The  giant  was  fighting  with 
champions  outside.  When  the  boy  saw  the  young 
woman  he  took  off  the  cloak  of  darkness  and  spoke 
to  her. 

"  Oh !  "  said  she,  "  what  can  you  do  against  the 
giant?  No  man  has  ever  come  to  this  castle  without 
losing  his  life.  The  giant  kills  every  man ;  and  no 
one  has  ever  come  here  so  big  that  the  giant  did 
not  eat  him  at  one  meal." 

"  And  is  there  no  way  to  kill  him  ?  "  asked  the  boy. 


Weavers  Son  and  Giant  of  White  Hill.     73 

"  I  think  not,"  said  she. 

"  Well,  if  you  '11  give  me  something  to  eat,  I  '11 
stay  here ;  and  when  the  giant  comes  in,  I  '11  do 
my  best  to  kill  him.  But  don't  let  on  that  I  am 
here." 

Then  he  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness,  and  no 
one  could  see  him.  When  the  giant  came  in,  he 
had  the  bodies  of  two  men  on  his  back.  He  threw 
down  the  bodies  and  told  the  young  woman  to  get 
them  ready  for  his  dinner.  Then  he  snuffed  around, 
and  said :  "  There  's  some  one  here ;  I  smell  the 
blood  of  an  Erineach." 

"  I  don't  think  you  do,"  said  the  young  woman ; 
"  I  can't  see  any  one." 

"  Neither  can  I,"  said  the  giant;  "  but  I  smell  a 
man." 

With  that  the  boy  drew  his  sword ;  and  when  the 
giant  was  struck,  he  ran  in  the  direction  of  the  blow 
to  give  one  back;  then  he  was  struck  on  the 
other  side. 

They  were  at  one  another  this  way,  the  giant  and 
the  boy  with  the  cloak  of  darkness  on  him,  till  the 
giant  had  fifty  wounds,  and  was  covered  with  blood. 
Every  minute  he  was  getting  a  slash  of  a  sword, 
but  never  could  give  one  back.  At  last  he  called 
out:  "Whoever  you  are,  wait  till  to-morrow,  and 
I  '11  face  you  then." 

So  the  fighting  stopped  ;   and  the  young  woman 


74        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

began  to  cry  and  lament  as  if  her  heart  would  break 
when  she  saw  the  state  the  giant  was  in.  "  Oh ! 
you'll  be  with  me  no  longer;  you'll  be  killed 
now :  what  can  I  do  alone  without  you  ?  "  and  she 
tried  to  please  him,  and  washed  his  wounds. 

"Don't  be  afraid,"  said  the  giant;  "this  one, 
whoever  he  is,  will  not  kill  me,  for  there  is  no  man 
in  the  world  that  can  kill  me."  Then  the  giant 
went  to  bed,  and  was  well  in  the  morning. 

Next  day  the  giant  and  the  boy  began  in  the 
middle  of  the  forenoon,  and  fought  till  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon.  The  giant  was  covered  with 
wounds,  and  he  had  not  given  one  blow  to  the  boy, 
and  could  not  see  him,  for  he  was  always  in  his 
cloak  of  darkness.  So  the  giant  had  to  ask  for  rest 
till  next  morning. 

While  the  young  woman  was  washing  and  dress- 
ing the  wounds  of  the  giant  she  cried  and  lamented 
all  the  time,  saying :  "  What  '11  become  of  me  now  ? 
I  'm  afraid  you  '11  be  killed  this  time ;  and  how  can 
I  live  here  without  you  ?  " 

"  Have  no  fear  for  me,"  said  the  giant ;  "  I  '11  put 
your  mind  at  rest.  In  the  bottom  of  the  sea  is 
a  chest  locked  and  bound,  in  that  chest  is  a  duck, 
in  the  duck  an  egg;  and  I  never  can  be  killed  un- 
less some  one  gets  the  egg  from  the  duck  in  the 
chest  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  rubs  it  on  the 
mole  that  is  under  my  right  breast." 


Weavers  Son  and  Giant  of  White  Hill.     75 

While  the  giant  was  telling  this  to  the  woman  to 
put  her  mind  at  rest,  who  should  be  listening  to 
the  story  but  the  boy  in  the  cloak  of  darkness. 
The  minute  he  heard  of  the  chest  in  the  sea,  he 
thought  of  the  salmons.  So  off  he  hurried  to  the 
seashore,  which  was  not  far  away.  Then  he  took 
out  the  fin  that  his  eldest  sister's  husband  had  given 
him,  and  called  on  what  salmons  were  in  the  sea  to 
bring  up  the  chest  with  the  duck  inside,  and  put  it 
out  on  the  beach  before  him. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait  till  he  saw  nothing  but 
salmon,  —  the  whole  sea  was  covered  with  them, 
moving  to  land ;  and  they  put  the  chest  out  on  the 
beach  before  him. 

But  the  chest  was  locked  and  strong ;  how  could 
he  open  it?  He  thought  of  the  rams;  and  taking 
out  the  lock  of  wool,  said :  "  I  want  what  rams 
are  in  the  world  to  come  and  break  open  this 
chest !  " 

That  minute  the  rams  of  the  world  were  running 
to  the  seashore,  each  with  a  terrible  pair  of  horns 
on  him ;  and  soon  they  battered  the  chest  to  splin- 
ters. Out  flew  the  duck,  and  away  she  went  over 
the  sea. 

The  boy  took  out  the  feather,  and  said :  "  I  want 
what  eagles  are  in  the  world  to  get  me  the  egg  from 
that  duck." 

That  minute  the  duck  was  surrounded  by  the 


76       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

eagles  of  the  world,  and  the  egg  was  soon  brought 
to  the  boy.  He  put  the  feather,  the  wool,  and  the 
fin  in  his  pocket,  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness,  and 
went  to  the  castle  on  the  white  hill,  and  told  the 
young  woman,  when  she  was  dressing  the  wounds 
of  the  giant  again,  to  raise  up  his  arm. 

Next  day  they  fought  till  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon.  The  giant  was  almost  cut  to  pieces,  and 
called  for  a  cessation. 

The  young  woman  hurried  to  dress  the  wounds, 
and  he  said :  "  I  see  you  would  help  me  if  you 
could :  you  are  not  able.  But  never  fear,  I  shall 
not  be  killed."  Then  she  raised  his  arm  to  wash 
away  the  blood,  and  the  boy,  who  was  there  in  his 
cloak  of  darkness,  struck  the  mole  with  the  egg. 
The  giant  died  that  minute. 

The  boy  took  the  young  woman  to  the  castle  of 
his  third  sister.  Next  day  he  went  back  for  the 
treasures  of  the  giant,  and  there  was  more  gold  in 
the  castle  than  one  horse  could  draw. 

They  spent  nine  days  in  the  castle  of  the  eagle 
with  the  third  sister.  Then  the  boy  gave  back  the 
feather,  and  the  two  went  on  till  they  came  to  the 
castle  of  the  salmon,  where  they  spent  nine  more 
days  with  the  second  sister ;  and  he  gave  back  the 
fin. 

When  they  came  to  the  castle  of  the  ram,  they 
spent  fifteen  days  with  the  first  sister,  and  had 


Weavers  Son  and  Giant  of  White  Hill.     77 

great  feasting  and  enjoyment.  Then  the  boy  gave 
back  the  lock  of  wool  to  the  ram,  and  taking  fare- 
well of  his  sister  and  her  husband,  set  out  for  home 
with  the  young  woman  of  the  white  castle,  who  was 
now  his  wife,  bringing  presents  from  the  three 
daughters  to  their  father  and  mother. 

At  last  they  reached  the  opening  near  the  tree, 
came  up  through  the  ground,  and  went  on  to  where 
he  met  the  red-haired  man.  Then  he  spread  the 
cloth  of  plenty,  asked  for  every  good  meat  and 
drink,  and  called  the  red-haired  man.  He  came. 
The  three  sat  down,  ate  and  drank  with  enjoyment. 

When  they  had  finished,  the  boy  gave  back  to 
the  red-haired  man  the  cloak  of  darkness,  the 
sword  of  sharpness,  and  the  cloth  of  plenty,  and 
thanked  him. 

"  You  were  kind  to  me,"  said  the  red-haired 
man ;  "  you  gave  me  of  your  bread  when  I  asked 
for  it,  and  told  me  where  you  were  going.  I  took 
pity  on  you ;  for  I  knew  you  never  could  get  what 
you  wanted  unless  I  helped  you.  I  am  the  brother 
of  the  eagle,  the  salmon,  and  the  ram." 

They  parted.  The  boy  went  home,  built  a  castle 
with  the  treasure  of  the  giant,  and  lived  happily 
with  his  parents  and  wife. 


FAIR,   BROWN,   AND   TREMBLING. 

KING  AEDH  CtfRUCHA  lived  in  Tir  Conal, 
and  he  had  three  daughters,  whose  names 
were  Fair,  Brown,  and  Trembling. 

Fair  and  Brown  had  new  dresses,  and  went  to 
church  every  Sunday.  Trembling  was  kept  at 
home  to  do  the  cooking  and  work.  They  would 
not  let  her  go  out  of  the  house  at  all ;  for  she  was 
more  beautiful  than  the  other  two,  and  they  were 
in  dread  she  might  marry  before  themselves. 

They  carried  on  in  this  way  for  seven  years.  At 
the  end  of  seven  years  the  son  of  the  king  of 
Omanya 1  fell  in  love  with  the  eldest  sister. 

One  Sunday  morning,  after  the  other  two  had 
gone  to  church,  the  old  henwife  came  into  the 
kitchen  to  Trembling,  and  said :  "  It 's  at  church 
you  ought  to  be  this  day,  instead  of  working  here 
at  home." 

"How  could  I  go?"  said  Trembling.  "  I  have 
no  clothes  good  enough  to  wear  at  church ;  and  if 
my  sisters  were  to  see  me  there,  they  'd  kill  me  for 
going  out  of  the  house." 

1  The  ancient  Emania  in  Ulster. 


Fair,  Brown,  and  Trembling,  79 

"  I  '11  give  you,"  said  the  henwifc,  "  a  finer 
dress  than  either  of  them  has  ever  seen.  And  now 
tell  me  what  dress  will  you  have?" 

"  I  '11  have,"  said  Trembling,  "  a  dress  as  white 
as  snow,  and  green  shoes  for  my  feet." 

Then  the  henwife  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness, 
clipped  a  piece  from  the  old  clothes  the  young 
woman  had  on,  and  asked  for  the  whitest  robes  in 
the  world  and  the  most  beautiful  that  could  be 
found,  and  a  pair  of  green  shoes. 

That  moment  she  had  the  robe  and  the  shoes, 
and  she  brought  them  to  Trembling,  who  put  them 
on.  When  Trembling  was  dressed  and  ready,  the 
henwife  said :  "  I  have  a  honey-bird  here  to  sit  on 
your  right  shoulder,  and  a  honey-finger  to  put  on 
your  left.  At  the  door  stands  a  milk-white  mare, 
with  a  golden  saddle  for  you  to  sit  on,  and  a  golden 
bridle  to  hold  in  your  hand." 

Trembling  sat  on  the  golden  saddle  ;  and  when 
she  was  ready  to  start,  the  henwife  said :  "  You 
must  not  go  inside  the  door  of  the  church,  and  the 
minute  the  people  rise  up  at  the  end  of  Mass,  do 
you  make  off,  and  ride  home  as  fast  as  the  mare 
will  carry  you." 

When  Trembling  came  to  the  door  of  the  church 
there  was  no  one  inside  who  could  get  a  glimpse 
of  her  but  was  striving  to  know  who  she  was ;  and 
when  they  saw  her  hurrying  away  at  the  end  of 


8o        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Mass,  they  ran  out  to  overtake  her.  But  no  use  in 
their  running;  she  was  away  before  any  man  could 
come  near  her.  From  the  minute  she  left  the 
church  till  she  got  home,  she  overtook  the  wind 
before  her,  and  outstripped  the  wind  behind. 

She  came  down  at  the  door,  went  in,  and  found 
the  henwife  had  dinner  ready.  She  put  off  the 
white  robes,  and  had  on  her  old  dress  in  a 
twinkling. 

When  the  two  sisters  came  home  the  henwife 
asked :  "  Have  you  any  news  to-day  from  the 
church?  " 

"  We  have  great  news,"  said  they.  "  We  saw  a 
wonderful,  grand  lady  at  the  church-door.  The 
like  of  the  robes  she  had  we  have  never  seen  on 
woman  before.  It 's  little  that  was  thought  of  our 
dresses  beside  what  she  had  on  ;  and  there  was  n't 
a  man  at  the  church,  from  the  king  to  the  beggar, 
but  was  trying  to  look  at  her  and  know  who  she 
was." 

The  sisters  would  give  no  peace  till  they  had 
two  dresses  like  the  robes  of  the  strange  lady ;  but 
honey-birds  and  honey-fingers  were  not  to  be 
found. 

Next  Sunday  the  two  sisters  went  to  church  again, 
and  left  the  youngest  at  home  to  cook  the  dinner. 

After  they  had  gone,  the  henwife  came  in  and 
asked :  "  Will  you  go  to  church  to-day?  " 


Fair,  Brown,  and  Trembling.  81 

"  I  would  go,"  said  Trembling,  "  if  I  could  get 
the  going." 

"What  robe  will  you  wear?"  asked  the  hen- 
wife. 

"  The  finest  black  satin  that  can  be  found,  and 
red  shoes  for  my  feet." 

"  What  color  do  you  want  the  mare  to  be?  " 

"  I  want  her  to  be  so  black  and  so  glossy  that  I 
can  see  myself  in  her  body." 

The  henwife  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness,  and 
asked  for  the  robes  and  the  mare.  That  moment 
she  had  them.  When  Trembling  was  dressed,  the 
henwife  put  the  honey-bird  on  her  right  shoulder 
and  the  honey-finger  on  her  left.  The  saddle  on 
the  mare  was  silver,  and  so  was  the  bridle. 

When  Trembling  sat  in  the  saddle  and  was  going 
away,  the  henwife  ordered  her  strictly  not  to  go 
inside  the  door  of  the  church,  but  to  rush  away 
as  soon  as  the  people  rose  at  the  end  of  Mass, 
and  hurry  home  on  the  mare  before  any  man  could 
stop  her. 

That  Sunday  the  people  were  more  astonished 
than  ever,  and  gazed  at  her  more  than  the  first 
time ;  and  all  they  were  thinking  of  was  to  know 
who  she  was.  But  they  had  no  chance ;  for  the  mo- 
ment the  people  rose  at  the  end  of  Mass  she  slipped 
from  the  church,  was  in  the  silver  saddle,  and  home 
before  a  man  could  stop  her  or  talk  to  her. 

6 


82        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

The  henwife  had  the  dinner  ready.  Trembling 
took  off  her  satin  robe,  and  had  on  her  old  clothes 
before  her  sisters  got  home. 

"What  news  have  you  to-day?"  asked  the 
henwife  of  the  sisters  when  they  came  from  the 
church. 

"  Oh,  we  saw  the  grand  strange  lady  again ! 
And  it 's  little  that  any  man  could  think  of  our 
dresses  after  looking  at  the  robes  of  satin  that  she 
had  on !  And  all  at  church,  from  high  to  low, 
had  their  mouths  open,  gazing  at  her,  and  no  man 
was  looking  at  us." 

The  two  sisters  gave  neither  rest  nor  peace 
till  they  got  dresses  as  nearly  like  the  strange 
lady's  robes  as  they  could  find.  Of  course  they 
were  not  so  good ;  for  the  like  of  those  robes 
could  not  be  found  in  Erin. 

When  the  third  Sunday  came,  Fair  and  Brown 
went  to  church  dressed  in  black  satin.  They  left 
Trembling  at  home  to  work  in  the  kitchen,  and 
told  her  to  be  sure  and  have  dinner  ready  when 
they  came  back. 

After  they  had  gone  and  were  out  of  sight,  the 
henwife  came  to  the  kitchen  and  said :  "  Well,  my 
dear,  are  you  for  church  to-day?" 

"  I  would  go  if  I  had  a  new  dress  to  wear." 

"  I  '11  get  you  any  dress  you  ask  for.  What 
dress  would  you  like?"  asked  the  henwife. 


Fair,  Brown,  and  Trembling.  83 

"  A  dress  red  as  a  rose  from  the  waist  down,  and 
white  as  snow  from  the  waist  up ;  a  cape  of  green 
on  my  shoulders ;  and  a  hat  on  my  head  with  a  red, 
a  white,  and  a  green  feather  in  it ;  and  shoes  for  my 
feet  with  the  toes  red,  the  middle  white,  and  the 
backs  and  heels  green." 

The  henwife  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness, 
wished  for  all  these  things,  and  had  them.  When 
Trembling  was  dressed,  the  henwife  put  the  honey- 
bird  on  her  right  shoulder  and  the  honey-finger 
on  her  left,  and  placing  the  hat  on  her  head, 
clipped  a  few  hairs  from  one  lock  and  a  few  from 
another  with  her  scissors,  and  that  moment  the 
most  beautiful  golden  hair  was  flowing  down  over 
the  girl's  shoulders.  Then  the  henwife  asked  what 
kind  of  a  mare  she  would  ride.  She  said  white, 
with  blue  and  gold-colored  diamond-shaped  spots 
all  over  her  body,  on  her  back  a  saddle  of  gold, 
and  on  her  head  a  golden  bridle. 

The  mare  stood  there  before  the  door,  and  a 
bird  sitting  between  her  ears,  which  began  to  sing 
as  soon  as  Trembling  was  in  the  saddle,  and  never 
stopped  till  she  came  home  from  the  church. 

The  fame  of  the  beautiful  strange  lady  had  gone 
out  through  the  world,  and  all  the  princes  and 
great  men  that  were  in  it  came  to  church  that 
Sunday,  each  one  hoping  that  it  was  himself  would 
have  her  home  with  him  after  Mass. 


84        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

The  son  of  the  king  of  Omanya  forgot  all  about 
the  eldest  sister,  and  remained  outside  the  church, 
so  as  to  catch  the  strange  lady  before  she  could 
hurry  away. 

The  church  was  more  crowded  than  ever  be- 
fore, and  there  were  three  times  as  many  outside. 
There  was  such  a  throng  before  the  church  that 
Trembling  could  only  come  inside  the  gate. 

As  soon  as  the  people  were  rising  at  the  end  of 
Mass,  the  lady  slipped  out  through  the  gate,  was  in 
the  golden  saddle  in  an  instant,  and  sweeping  away 
ahead  of  the  wind.  But  if  she  was,  the  prince  of 
Omanya  was  at  her  side,  and,  seizing  her  by  the 
foot,  he  ran  with  the  mare  for  thirty  perches,  and 
never  let  go  of  the  beautiful  lady  till  the  shoe  was 
pulled  from  her  foot,  and  he  was  left  behind  with 
it  in  his  hand.  She  came  home  as  fast  as  the  mare 
could  carry  her,  and  was  thinking  all  the  time  that 
the  henwife  would  kill  her  for  losing  the  shoe. 

Seeing  her  so  vexed  and  so  changed  in  the  face, 
the  old  woman  asked :  "  What 's  the  trouble  that 's 
on  you  now?  " 

"  Oh !  I  Ve  lost  one  of  the  shoes  off  my  feet," 
said  Trembling. 

"  Don't  mind  that;  don't  be  vexed,"  said  the  hen- 
wife  ;  "  maybe  it 's  the  best  thing  that  ever  happened 
to  you." 

Then  Trembling  gave  up  all  the  things  she  had 


Fair,  Brown,  and  Trembling.          85 

to  the  henwife,  put  on  her  old  clothes,  and  went 
to  work  in  the  kitchen.  When  the  sisters  came 
home,  the  henwife  asked :  "  Have  you  any  news 
from  the  church  ?  " 

"We  have  indeed,"  said  they;  "for  we  saw  the 
grandest  sight  to-day.  The  strange  lady  came 
again,  in  grander  array  than  before.  On  herself 
and  the  horse  she  rode  were  the  finest  colors  of 
the  world,  and  between  the  ears  of  the  horse  was 
a  bird  which  never  stopped  singing  from  the  time 
she  came  till  she  went  away.  The  lady  herself  is 
the  most  beautiful  woman  ever  seen  by  man  in 
Erin." 

After  Trembling  had  disappeared  from  the 
church,  the  son  of  the  king  of  Omanya  said  to  the 
other  kings'  sons :  "I  will  have  that  lady  for  my 
own." 

They  all  said :  "  You  did  n't  win  her  just  by  taking 
the  shoe  off  her  foot,  you  '11  have  to  win  her  by  the 
point  of  the  sword;  you'll  have  to  fight  for  her 
with  us  before  you  can  call  her  your  own." 

"Well,"  said  the  son  of  the  king  of  Omanya, 
"  when  I  find  the  lady  that  shoe  will  fit,  I  '11  fight  for 
her,  never  fear,  before  I  leave  her  to  any  of  you." 

Then  all  the  kings'  sons  were  uneasy,  and 
anxious  to  know  who  was  she  that  lost  the  shoe ; 
and  they  began  to  travel  all  over  Erin  to  know 
could  they  find  her.  The  prince  of  Omanya  and 


86        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

all  the  others  went  in  a  great  company  together, 
and  made  the  round  of  Erin;  they  went  every- 
where, —  north,  south,  east,  and  west.  They  visited 
every  place  where  a  woman  was  to  be  found,  and 
left  not  a  house  in  the  kingdom  they  did  not 
search,  to  know  could  they  find  the  woman  the 
shoe  would  fit,  not  caring  whether  she  was  rich  or 
poor,  of  high  or  low  degree. 

The  prince  of  Omanya  always  kept  the  shoe ;  and 
when  the  young  women  saw  it,  they  had  great 
hopes,  for  it  was  of  proper  size,  neither  large  nor 
small,  and  it  would  beat  any  man  to  know  of  what 
material  it  was  made.  One  thought  it  would  fit  her 
if  she  cut  a  little  from  her  great  toe ;  and  another, 
with  too  short  a  foot,  put  something  in  the  tip  of  her 
stocking.  But  no  use,  they  only  spoiled  their  feet, 
and  were  curing  them  for  months  afterwards. 

The  two  sisters,  Fair  and  Brown,  heard  that  the 
princes  of  the  world  were  looking  all  over  Erin  for 
the  woman  that  could  wear  the  shoe,  and  every  day 
they  were  talking  of  trying  it  on ;  and  one  day 
Trembling  spoke  up  and  said:  "Maybe  it's  my 
foot  that  the  shoe  will  fit." 

"  Oh,  the  breaking  of  the  dog's  foot  on  you ! 
Why  say  so  when  you  were  at  home  every 
Sunday?" 

They  were  that  way  waiting,  and  scolding  the 
younger  sister,  till  the  princes  were  near  the  place. 


Fair,  Brown,  and  Trembling.  87 

The  day  they  were  to  come,  the  sisters  put  Trem- 
bling in  a  closet,  and  locked  the  door  on  her. 
When  the  company  came  to  the  house,  the  prince 
of  Omanya  gave  the  shoe  to  the  sisters.  But 
though  they  tried  and  tried,  it  would  fit  neither 
of  them. 

"  Is  there  any  other  young  woman  in  the 
house?"  asked  the  prince. 

"  There  is,"  said  Trembling,  speaking  up  in  the 
closet;  "  I'm  here." 

"  Oh  !  we  have  her  for  nothing  but  to  put  out  the 
ashes,"  said  the  sisters. 

But  the  prince  and  the  others  would  n't  leave  the 
house  till  they  had  seen  her ;  so  the  two  sisters  had 
to  open  the  door.  When  Trembling  came  out,  the 
shoe  was  given  to  her,  and  it  fitted  exactly. 

The  prince  of  Omanya  looked  at  her  and  said : 
"  You  are  the  woman  the  shoe  fits,  and  you  are  the 
woman  I  took  the  shoe  from." 

Then  Trembling  spoke  up,  and  said:  "  Do  you 
stay  here  till  I  return." 

Then  she  went  to  the  henwife's  house.  The  old 
woman  put  on  the  cloak  of  darkness,  got  every- 
thing for  her  she  had  the  first  Sunday  at  church, 
and  put  her  on  the  white  mare  in  the  same  fashion. 
Then  Trembling  rode  along  the  highway  to  the 
front  of  the  house.  All  who  saw  her  the  first  time 
said :  "  This  is  the  lady  we  saw  at  church." 


88        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Then  she  went  away  a  second  time,  and  a  second 
time  came  back  on  the  black  mare  in  the  second 
dress  which  the  henwife  gave  her.  All  who  saw 
her  the  second  Sunday  said :  "  That  is  the  lady  we 
saw  at  church." 

A  third  time  she  asked  for  a  short  absence,  and 
soon  came  back  on  the  third  mare  and  in  the  third 
dress.  All  who  saw  her  the  third  time  said : 
"  That  is  the  lady  we  saw  at  church."  Every  man 
was  satisfied,  and  knew  that  she  was  the  woman. 

Then  all  the  princes  and  great  men  spoke  up, 
and  said  to  the  son  of  the  king  of  Omanya: 
"  You  '11  have  to  fight  now  for  her  before  we  let 
her  go  with  you." 

"  I  'm  here  before  you,  ready  for  combat,"  an- 
swered the  prince. 

Then  the  son  of  the  king  of  Lochlin  stepped 
forth.  The  struggle  began,  and  a  terrible  struggle 
it  was.  They  fought  for  nine  hours ;  and  then  the 
son  of  the  king  of  Lochlin  stopped,  gave  up  his 
claim,  and  left  the  field.  Next  day  the  son  of  the 
king  of  Spain  fought  six  hours,  and  yielded  his 
claim.  On  the  third  day  the  son  of  the  king  of 
Nyerfoi  fought  eight  hours,  and  stopped.  The 
fourth  day  the  son  of  the  king  of  Greece  fought 
six  hours,  and  stopped.  On  the  fifth  day  no  more 
strange  princes  wanted  to  fight;  and  all  the  sons 
of  kings  in  Erin  said  they  would  not  fight  with  a 


Fair,  Brown,  and  Trembling.  89 

man  of  their  own  land,  that  the  strangers  had  had 
their  chance,  and  as  no  others  came  to  claim  the 
woman,  she  belonged  of  right  to  the  son  of  the 
king  of  Omanya. 

The  marriage-day  was  fixed,  and  the  invitations 
were  sent  out.  The  wedding  lasted  for  a  year  and 
a  day.  When  the  wedding  was  over,  the  king's  son 
brought  home  the  bride,  and  when  the  time  came 
a  son  was  born.  The  young  woman  sent  for  her 
eldest  sister,  Fair,  to  be  with  her  and  care  for  her. 
One  day,  when  Trembling  was  well,  and  when  her 
husband  was  away  hunting,  the  two  sisters  went  out 
to  walk ;  and  when  they  came  to  the  seaside,  the 
eldest  pushed  the  youngest  sister  in.  A  great 
whale  came  and  swallowed  her. 

The  eldest  sister  came  home  alone,  and  the  hus- 
band asked,  " Where  is  your  sister?" 

"  She  has  gone  home  to  her  father  in  Bally- 
shannon  ;  now  that  I  am  well,  I  don't  need  her." 

"  Well,"  said  the  husband,  looking  at  her,  "  I  'm 
in  dread  it 's  my  wife  that  has  gone." 

"  Oh !  no,"  said  she ;  "  it 's  my  sister  Fair  that 's 
gone." 

Since  the  sisters  were  very  much  alike,  the 
prince  was  in  doubt.  That  night  he  put  his 
sword  between  them,  and  said :  "  If  you  are  my 
wife,  this  sword  will  get  warm ;  if  not,  it  will 
stay  cold." 


90        Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

In  the  morning  when  he  rose  up,  the  sword  was 
as  cold  as  when  he  put  it  there. 

It  happened  when  the  two  sisters  were  walking 
by  the  seashore,  that  a  little  cowboy  was  down 
by  the  water  minding  cattle,  and  saw  Fair  push 
Trembling  into  the  sea;  and  next  day,  when  the 
tide  came  in,  he  saw  the  whale  swim  up  and  throw 
her  out  on  the  sand.  When  she  was  on  the  sand 
she  said  to  the  cowboy:  "When  you  go  home 
in  the  evening,  with  the  cows,  tell  the  master  that 
my  sister  Fair  pushed  me  into  the  sea  yesterday ; 
that  a  whale  swallowed  me,  and  then  threw  me 
out,  but  will  come  again  and  swallow  me  with 
the  coming  of  the  next  tide ;  then  he  '11  go  out 
with  the  tide,  and  come  again  with  to-morrow's 
tide,  and  throw  me  again  on  the  strand.  The 
whale  will  cast  me  out  three  times.  I  'm  under 
the  enchantment  of  this  whale,  and  cannot  leave 
the  beach  or  escape  myself.  Unless  my  hus- 
band saves  me  before  I  'm  swallowed  the  fourth 
time,  I  shall  be  lost.  He  must  come  and  shoot 
the  whale  with  a  silver  bullet  when  he  turns  on  the 
broad  of  his  back.  Under  the  breast-fin  of  the 
whale  is  a  reddish-brown  spot.  My  husband  must 
hit  him  in  that  spot,  for  it  is  the  only  place  in 
which  he  can  be  killed." 

When  the  cowboy  got  home,  the  eldest  sister 
gave  him  a  draught  of  oblivion,  and  he  did  not  tell. 


Fair,  Brown,  and  Trembling.          91 

Next  day  he  went  again  to  the  sea.  The  whale 
came  and  cast  Trembling  on  shore  again.  She 
asked  the  boy:  "  Did  you  tell  the  master  what  I 
told  you  to  tell  him?" 

"  I  did  not,"  said  he;    "I  forgot." 

"  How  did  you  forget?  "  asked  she. 

"  The  woman  of  the  house  gave  me  a  drink  that 
made  me  forget." 

"Well,  don't  forget  telling  him  this  night;  and 
if  she  gives  you  a  drink,  don't  take  it  from  her." 

As  soon  as  the  cowboy  came  home,  the  eldest 
sister  offered  him  a  drink.  He  refused  to  take  it 
till  he  had  delivered  his  message  and  told  all  to  the 
master.  The  third  day  the  prince  went  down  with 
his  gun  and  a  silver  bullet  in  it.  He  was  not  long 
down  when  the  whale  came  and  threw  Trembling 
upon  the  beach  as  the  two  days  before.  She  had 
no  power  to  speak  to  her  husband  till  he  had 
killed  the  whale.  Then  the  whale  went  out,  turned 
over  once  on  the  broad  of  his  back,  and  showed 
the  spot  for  a  moment  only.  That  moment  the 
prince  fired.  He  had  but  the  one  chance,  and 
a  short  one  at  that;  but  he  took  it,  and  hit  the 
spot,  and  the  whale,  mad  with  pain,  made  the  sea 
all  around  red  with  blood,  and  died. 

That  minute  Trembling  was  able  to  speak,  and 
went  home  with  her  husband,  who  sent  word  to 
her  father  what  the  eldest  sister  had  done.  The 


92         Mytks  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

father  came,  and  told  him  any  death  he  chose  to 
give  her  to  give  it.  The  prince  told  the  father  he 
would  leave  her  life  and  death  with  himself.  The 
father  had  her  put  out  then  on  the  sea  in  a  barrel, 
with  provisions  in  it  for  seven  years. 

In  time  Trembling  had  a  second  child,  a  daugh- 
ter. The  prince  and  she  sent  the  cowboy  to  school, 
and  trained  him  up  as  one  of  their  own  children, 
and  said :  "  If  the  little  girl  that  is  born  to  us  now 
lives,  no  other  man  in  the  world  will  get  her  but 
him." 

The  cowboy  and  the  prince's  daughter  lived  on 
till  they  were  married.  The  mother  said  to  her 
husband :  "  You  could  not  have  saved  me  from 
the  whale  but  for  the  little  cowboy;  on  that  ac- 
count I  don't  grudge  him  my  daughter." 

The  son  of  the  king  of  Omanya  and  Trembling 
had  fourteen  children,  and  they  lived  happily  till 
the  two  died  of  old  age. 


THE   KING   OF    ERIN    AND   THE   QUEEN 
OF  THE   LONESOME   ISLAND. 

THERE  was  a  king  in  Erin  long  ago,  and  this 
king  went  out  hunting  one  day,  but  saw 
nothing  till  near  sunset,  when  what  should  come 
across  him  but  a  black  pig. 

"  Since  I  've  seen  nothing  all  day  but  this  black 
pig,  I  '11  be  at  her  now,"  said  the  king ;  so  he  put 
spurs  to  his  horse  and  raced  after  the  pig. 

When  the  pig  was  on  a  hill  he  was  in  the  valley 
behind  her ;  when  he  was  on  a  hill,  the  pig  was  in 
the  valley  before  him.  At  last  they  came  to  the 
sea-side,  and  the  pig  rushed  out  into  the  deep 
water  straight  from  the  shore.  The  king  spurred 
on  his  horse  and  followed  the  black  pig  through 
the  sea  till  his  horse  failed  under  him  and  was 
drowned. 

Then  the  king  swam  on  himself  till  he  was  grow- 
ing weak,  and  said :  "  It  was  for  the  death  of  me 
that  the  black  pig  came  in  my  way." 

But  he  swam  on  some  distance  yet,  till  at  last  he 
saw  land.  The  pig  went  up  on  an  island ;  the  king 
too  went  on  shore,  and  said  to  himself:  "  Oh  !  it  is 


94        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

for  no  good  that  I  came  here;  there  is  neither 
house  nor  shelter  to  be  seen."  But  he  cheered  up 
after  a  while,  walked  around,  and  said :  "  I  'm  a 
useless  man  if  I  can't  find  shelter  in  some  place." 

After  going  on  a  short  space  he  saw  a  great 
castle  in  a  valley  before  him.  When  he  came  to 
the  front  of  the  castle  he  saw  that  it  had  a  low  door 
with  a  broad  threshold  all  covered  with  sharp-edged 
razors,  and  a  low  lintel  of  long-pointed  needles. 
The  path  to  the  castle  was  covered  with  gravel  of 
gold.  The  king  came  up,  and  went  in  with  a  jump 
over  the  razors  and  under  the  needles.  When  in- 
side he  saw  a  great  fire  on  a  broad  hearth,  and 
said  to  himself,  "  I  '11  sit  down  here,  dry  my 
clothes,  and  warm  my  body  at  this  fire." 

As  he  sat  and  warmed  himself,  a  table  came  out 
before  him  with  every  sort  of  food  and  drink,  with- 
out his  seeing  any  one  bring  it. 

"  Upon  my  honor  and  power,"  said  the  king  of 
Erin,  "  there  is  nothing  bad  in  this !  I  '11  eat  and 
drink  my  fill." 

Then  he  fell  to,  and  ate  and  drank  his  fill. 
When  he  had  grown  tired,  he  looked  behind  him, 
and  if  he  did  he  saw  a  fine  room,  and  in  it  a  bed 
covered  with  gold.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  '11  go 
back  and  sleep  in  that  bed  a  while,  I  'm  so  tired." 

He  stretched  himself  on  the  bed  and  fell  asleep. 
In  the  night  he  woke  up,  and  felt  the  presence  of  a 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  95 

woman  in  the  room.  He  reached  out  his  hand 
towards  her  and  spoke,  but  got  no  answer;  she 
was  silent. 

When  morning  came,  and  he  made  his  way  out 
of  the  castle,  she  spread  a  beautiful  garden  with 
her  Druidic  spells  over  the  island,  —  so  great  that 
though  he  travelled  through  it  all  day  he  could  not 
escape  from  it.  At  sunset  he  was  back  at  the  door 
of  the  castle ;  and  in  he  went  over  the  razors  and 
under  the  needles,  sat  at  the  fire,  and  the  table  came 
out  before  him  as  on  the  previous  evening.  He  ate, 
drank,  and  slept  on  the  bed ;  and  when  he  woke 
in  the  night,  there  was  the  woman  in  the  room ; 
but  she  was  silent  and  unseen  as  before. 

When  he  went  out  on  the  second  morning  the 
king  of  Erin  saw  a  garden  three  times  more  beau- 
tiful than  the  one  of  the  day  before.  He  travelled 
all  day,  but  could  not  escape,  —  could  not  get  out 
of  the  garden.  At  sunset  he  was  back  at  the  door 
of  the  castle ;  in  he  went  over  the  razors  and  under 
the  needles,  ate,  drank,  and  slept,  as  before. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  he  woke  up,  and  felt  the 
presence  of  the  woman  in  the  room.  "  Well,"  said 
he,  "  it  is  a  wonderful  thing  for  me  to  pass  three 
nights  in  a  room  with  a  woman,  and  not  see  her 
nor  know  who  she  is !  " 

"  You  won't  have  that  to  say  again,  king  of 
Erin,"  answered  a  voice.  And  that  moment  the 


96        Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

room  was  filled  with  a  bright  light,  and  the  king 
looked  upon  the  finest  woman  he  had  ever  seen. 
"  Well,  king  of  Erin,  you  are  on  Lonesome  Island. 
I  am  the  black  pig  that  enticed  you  over  the  land 
and  through  the  sea  to  this  place,  and  I  am  queen 
of  Lonesome  Island.  My  two  sisters  and  I  are  un- 
der a  Druidic  spell,  and  we  cannot  escape  from  this 
spell  till  your  son  and  mine  shall  free  us.  Now, 
king  of  Erin,  I  will  give  you  a  boat  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, and  do  you  sail  away  to  your  own  kingdom." 

In  the  morning  she  went  with  him  to  the  sea- 
shore to  the  boat.  The  king  gave  the  prow  of  the 
boat  to  the  sea,  and  its  stern  to  the  land ;  then  he 
raised  the  sails,  and  went  his  way.  The  music  he 
had  was  the  roaring  of  the  wind  with  the  whistling 
of  eels,  and  he  broke  neither  oar  nor  mast  till  he 
landed  under  his  own  castle  in  Erin. 

Three  quarters  of  a  year  after,  the  queen  of 
Lonesome  Island  gave  birth  to  a  son.  She  reared 
him  with  care  from  day  to  day  and  year  to  year 
till  he  was  a  splendid  youth.  She  taught  him 
the  learning  of  wise  men  one  half  of  the  day,  and 
warlike  exercises  with  Druidic  spells  the  other  half. 

One  time  the  young  man,  the  prince  of  Lone- 
some Island,  came  in  from  hunting,  and  found  his 
mother  sobbing  and  crying. 

"  Oh!  what  has  happened  to  you,  mother?  "  he 
asked. 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  97 

"  My  son,  great  grief  has  come  on  me.  A 
friend  of  mine  is  going  to  be  killed  to-morrow." 

"Who  is  he?" 

"  The  king  of  Erin.  The  king  of  Spain  has 
come  against  him  with  a  great  army.  He  wishes 
to  sweep  him  and  his  men  from  the  face  of  the 
earth,  and  take  the  kingdom  himself." 

"  Well,  what  can  we  do?  If  I  were  there,  I  'd 
help  the  king  of  Erin." 

"  Since  you  say  that,  my  son,  I  '11  send  you  this 
very  evening.  With  the  power  of  my  Druidic 
spells,  you  '11  be  in  Erin  in  the  morning." 

The  prince  of  Lonesome  Island  went  away  that 
night,  and  next  morning  at  the  rising  of  the  sun 
he  drew  up  his  boat  under  the  king's  castle  in  Erin. 
He  went  ashore,  and  saw  the  whole  land  black  with 
the  forces  of  the  king  of  Spain,  who  was  getting 
ready  to  attack  the  king  of  Erin  and  sweep  him 
and  his  men  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  prince  went  straight  to  the  king  of  Spain, 
and  said,  "  I  ask  one  day's  truce." 

"  You  shall  have  it,  my  champion,"  answered 
the  king  of  Spain. 

The  prince  then  went  to  the  castle  of  the  king 
of  Erin,  and  stayed  there  that  day  as  a  guest. 
Next  morning  early  he  dressed  himself  in  his 
champion's  array,  and,  taking  his  nine-edged 
sword,  he  went  down  alone  to  the  king  of 

7 


98         Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Spain,  and,  standing  before  him,  bade  him  guard 
himself. 

They  closed  in  conflict,  the  king  of  Spain  with 
all  his  forces  on  one  side,  and  the  prince  of 
Lonesome  Island  on  the  other.  They  fought  an 
awful  battle  that  day  from  sunrise  till  sunset. 
They  made  soft  places  hard,  and  hard  places  soft ; 
they  made  high  places  low,  and  low  places  high ; 
they  brought  water  out  of  the  centre  of  hard  gray 
rocks,  and  made  dry  rushes  soft  in  the  most  dis- 
tant parts  of  Erin  till  sunset;  and  when  the  sun 
went  down,  the  king  of  Spain  and  his  last  man 
were  dead  on  the  field. 

Neither  the  king  of  Erin  nor  his  forces  took  part 
in  the  battle.  They  had  no  need,  and  they  had 
no  chance. 

Now  the  king  of  Erin  had  two  sons,  who  were 
such  cowards  that  they  hid  themselves  from  fright 
during  the  battle ;  but  their  mother  told  the  king 
of  Erin  that  her  elder  son  was  the  man  who  had 
destroyed  the  king  of  Spain  and  all  his  men. 

There  was  great  rejoicing  and  a  feast  at  the 
castle  of  the  king  of  Erin.  At  the  end  of  the  feast 
the  queen  said :  "  I  wish  to  give  the  last  cup  to 
this  stranger  who  is  here  as  a  guest ;  "  and  taking 
him  to  an  adjoining  chamber  which  had  a  window 
right  over  the  sea,  she  seated  him  in  the  open  win- 
dow and  gave  him  a  cup  of  drowsiness  to  drink. 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  99 

When  he  had  emptied  the  cup  and  closed  his  eyes, 
she  pushed  him  out  into  the  darkness. 

The  prince  of  Lonesome  Island  swam  on  the 
water  for  four  days  and  nights,  till  he  came  to  a 
rock  in  the  ocean,  and  there  he  lived  for  three 
months,  eating  the  seaweeds  of  the  rock,  till  one 
foggy  day  a  vessel  came  near  and  the  captain  cried 
out:  "We  shall  be  wrecked  on  this  rock!  "  Then 
he  said,  "There  is  some  one  on  the  rock;  go  and 
see  who  it  is." 

They  landed,  and  found  the  prince,  his  clothes  all 
gone,  his  body  black  from  the  seaweed,  which  was 
growing  all  over  it. 

"  Who  are  you?  "  asked  the  captain. 

"  Give  me  first  to  eat  and  drink,  and  then  I  '11 
talk,"  said  he. 

They  brought  him  food  and  drink ;  and  when  he 
had  eaten  and  drunk,  the  prince  said  to  the  cap- 
tain :  "  What  part  of  the  world  have  you  come 
from?" 

"  I  have  just  sailed  from  Lonesome  Island,"  said 
the  captain.  "  I  was  obliged  to  sail  away,  for  fire 
was  coming  from  every  side  to  burn  my  ship." 

"  Would  you  like  to  go  back?  " 

"  I  should  indeed." 

•'  Well,  turn  around ;  you  '11  have  no  trouble  if  I 
am  with  you." 

The   captain   returned-     The    queen   of  Lone- 


ioo      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

some  Island  was  standing  on  the  shore  as  the  ship 
came  in. 

"  Oh,  my  child  !  "  cried  she,  "  why  have  you  been 
away  so  long?  " 

"  The  queen  of  Erin  threw  me  into  the  sea  after 
I  had  kept  the  head  of  the  king  of  Erin  on  him, 
and  saved  her  life  too." 

"  Well,  my  son,  that  will  come  up  against  the 
queen  of  Erin  on  another  day." 

Now,  the  prince  lived  on  Lonesome  Island  three 
years  longer,  till  one  time  he  came  home  from 
hunting,  and  found  his  mother  wringing  her  hands 
and  shedding  bitter  tears. 

"  Oh !    what  has  happened  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  I  am  weeping  because  the  king  of  Spain  has 
gone  to  take  vengeance  on  the  king  of  Erin  for  the 
death  of  his  father,  whom  you  killed." 

"  Well,  mother,  I  '11  go  to  help  the  king  of  Erin, 
if  you  give  me  leave." 

"  Since  you  have  said  it,  you  shall  go  this  very 
night." 

He  went  to  the  shore.  Putting  the  prow  of  his 
bark  to  the  sea  and  her  stern  to  land,  he  raised 
high  the  sails,  and  heard  no  sound  as  he  went  but 
the  pleasant  wind  and  the  whistling  of  eels,  till  he 
pulled  up  his  boat  next  morning  under  the  castle 
of  the  king  of  Erin  and  went  on  shore. 

The  whole  country  was  black  with  the  troops  of 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  101 

the  king  of  Spain,  who  was  just  ready  to  attack, 
when  the  prince  stood  before  him,  and  asked  a 
truce  till  next  morning. 

"  That  you  shall  have,  my  champion,"  answered 
the  king.  So  there  was  peace  for  that  day. 

Next  morning  at  sunrise,  the  prince  faced  the 
king  of  Spain  and  his  army,  and  there  followed  a 
struggle  more  terrible  than  that  with  his  father; 
but  at  sunset  neither  the  king  of  Spain  nor  one  of 
his  men  was  left  alive. 

The  two  sons  of  the  king  of  Erin  were  frightened 
almost  to  death,  and  hid  during  the  battle,  so  that 
no  one  saw  them  or  knew  where  they  were.  But 
when  the  king  of  Spain  and  his  army  were  de- 
stroyed, the  queen  said  to  the  king :  "  My  elder 
son  has  saved  us."  Then  she  went  to  bed,  and 
taking  the  blood  of  a  chicken  in  her  mouth,  spat  it 
out,  saying :  "  This  is  my  heart's  blood ;  and  noth- 
ing can  cure  me  now  but  three  bottles  of  water 
from  Tubber  Tintye,  the  flaming  well." 

When  the  prince  was  told  of  the  sickness  of 
the  queen  of  Erin,  he  came  to  her  and  said :  "  I  '11 
go  for  the  water  if  your  two  sons  will  go  with  me." 

"  They  shall  go,"  said  the  queen;  and  away  went 
the  three  young  men  towards  the  East,  in  search  of 
the  flaming  well. 

In  the  morning  they  came  to  a  house  on  the 
roadside ;  and  going  in,  they  saw  a  woman  who  had 


IO2       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

washed  herself  in  a  golden  basin  which  stood  be- 
fore her.  She  was  then  wetting  her  head  with  the 
water  in  the  basin,  and  combing  her  hair  with  a 
golden  comb.  She  threw  back  her  hair,  and  look- 
ing at  the  prince,  said  :  "  You  are  welcome,  sister's 
son.  What  is  on  you  ?  Is  it  the  misfortune  of  the 
world  that  has  brought  you  here  ?  " 

"  It  is  not ;  I  am  going  to  Tubber  Tintye  for  three 
bottles  of  water." 

"  That  is  what  you  '11  never  do ;  no  man  can  cross 
the  fiery  river  or  go  through  the  enchantments 
around  Tubber  Tintye.  Stay  here  with  me,  and 
I  '11  give  you  all  I  have." 

"  No,  I  cannot  stay,  I  must  go  on." 

"Well,  you'll  be  in  your  other  aunt's  house  to- 
morrow night,  and  she  will  tell  you  all." 

Next  morning,  when  they  were  getting  ready  to 
take  the  road,  the  elder  son  of  the  queen  of  Erin 
was  frightened  at  what  he  had  heard,  and  said : 
"  I  am  sick;  I  cannot  go  farther." 

"  Stop  here  where  you  are  till  I  come  back," 
said  the  prince.  Then  he  went  on  with  the  younger 
brother,  till  at  sunset  they  came  to  a  house  where 
they  saw  a  woman  wetting  her  head  from  a  golden 
basin,  and  combing  her  hair  with  a  golden  comb. 
She  threw  back  her  hair,  looked  at  the  prince,  and 
said :  "  You  are  welcome,  sister's  son !  What 
brought  you  to  this  place?  Was  it  the  misfortune 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  103 

of  the  world  that  brought  you  to  live  under  Druidic 
spells  like  me  and  my  sisters?  "  This  was  the  elder 
sister  of  the  queen  of  the  Lonesome  Island. 

"  No,"  said  the  prince;  "  I  am  going  to  Tubber 
Tintye  for  three  bottles  of  water  from  the  flaming 
well." 

"  Oh,  sister's  son,  it 's  a  hard  journey  you  're  on  ! 
But  stay  here  to-night ;  to-morrow  morning  I  '11  tell 
you  all." 

In  the  morning  the  prince's  aunt  said :  "  The 
queen  of  the  Island  of  Tubber  Tintye  has  an  enor- 
mous castle,  in  which  she  lives.  She  has  a  count- 
less army  of  giants,  beasts,  and  monsters  to  guard  the 
castle  and  the  flaming  well.  There  are  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  them,  of  every  form  and  size. 
When  they  get  drowsy,  and  sleep  comes  on  them, 
they  sleep  for  seven  years  without  waking.  The 
queen  has  twelve  attendant  maidens,  who  live  in 
twelve  chambers.  She  is  in  the  thirteenth  and 
innermost  chamber  herself.  The  queen  and  the 
maidens  sleep  during  the  same  seven  years  as  the 
giants  and  beasts.  When  the  seven  years  are  over, 
they  all  wake  up,  and  none  of  them  sleep  again  for 
seven  other  years.  If  any  man  could  enter  the 
castle  during  the  seven  years  of  sleep,  he  could  do 
what  he  liked.  But  the  island  on  which  the  castle 
stands  is  girt  by  a  river  of  fire  and  surrounded  by 
a  belt  of  poison-trees." 


IO4      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

The  aunt  now  blew  on  a  horn,  and  all  the  birds 
of  the  air  gathered  around  her  from  every  place 
under  the  heavens,  and  she  asked  each  in  turn 
where  it  dwelt,  and  each  told  her ;  but  none  knew 
of  the  flaming  well,  till  an  old  eagle  said :  "  I  left 
Tubber  Tintye  to-day." 

"How  are  all  the  people  there?"  asked  the 
aunt. 

"  They  are  all  asleep  since  yesterday  morning," 
answered  the  old  eagle. 

The  aunt  dismissed  the  birds ;  and  turning  to  the 
prince,  said,  "  Here  is  a  bridle  for  you.  Go  to 
the  stables,  shake  the  bridle,  and  put  it  on  what- 
ever horse  runs  out  to  meet  you." 

Now  the  second  son  of  the  queen  of  Erin  said : 
"  I  am  too  sick  to  go  farther." 

"Well,  stay  here  till  I  come  back,"  said  the 
prince,  who  took  the  bridle  and  went  out. 

The  prince  of  the  Lonesome  Island  stood  in 
front  of  his  aunt's  stables,  shook  the  bridle,  and 
out  came  a  dirty,  lean  little  shaggy  horse. 

"  Sit  on  my  back,  son  of  the  king  of  Erin  and 
the  queen  of  Lonesome  Island,"  said  the  little 
shaggy  horse. 

This  was  the  first  the  prince  had  heard  of  his 
father.  He  had  often  wondered  who  he  might  be, 
but  had  never  heard  who  he  was  before. 

He  mounted   the  horse,  which  said :  "  Keep  a 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  105 

firm  grip  now,  for  I  shall  clear  the  river  of  fire  at 
a  single  bound,  and  pass  the  poison-trees ;  but  if 
you  touch  any  part  of  the  trees,  even  with  a  thread 
of  the  clothing  that 's  on  you,  you  '11  never  eat 
another  bite ;  and  as  I  rush  by  the  end  of  the  castle 
of  Tubber  Tintye  with  the  speed  of  the  wind,  you 
must  spring  from  my  back  through  an  open  win- 
dow that  is  there ;  and  if  you  don't  get  in  at  the 
window,  you  're  done  for.  I  '11  wait  for  you  out- 
side till  you  are  ready  to  go  back  to  Erin." 

The  prince  did  as  the  little  horse  told  him. 
They  crossed  the  river  of  fire,  escaped  the  touch 
of  the  poison-trees,  and  as  the  horse  shot  past  the 
castle,  the  prince  sprang  through  the  open  window, 
and  came  down  safe  and  sound  inside. 

The  whole  place,  enormous  in  extent,  was  filled 
with  sleeping  giants  and  monsters  of  sea  and  land, 
—  great  whales,  long  slippery  eels,  bears,  and 
beasts  of  every  form  and  kind.  The  prince  passed 
through  them  and  over  them  till  he  came  to  a 
great  stairway.  At  the  head  of  the  stairway  he 
went  into  a  chamber,  where  he  found  the  most 
beautiful  woman  he  had  ever  seen,  stretched  on  a 
couch  asleep.  "  I  '11  have  nothing  to  say  to  you," 
thought  he,  and  went  on  to  the  next ;  and  so  he 
looked  into  twelve  chambers.  In  each  was  a 
woman  more  beautiful  than  the  one  before.  But 
when  he  reached  the  thirteenth  chamber  and 


io6      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

opened  the  door,  the  flash  of  gold  took  the  sight 
from  his  eyes.  He  stood  a  while  till  the  sight 
came  back,  and  then  entered.  In  the  great  bright 
chamber  was  a  golden  couch,  resting  on  wheels  of 
gold.  The  wheels  turned  continually;  the  couch 
went  round  and  round,  never  stopping  night  or 
day.  On  the  couch  lay  the  queen  of  Tubber 
Tintye ;  and  if  her  twelve  maidens  were  beautiful, 
they  would  not  be  beautiful  if  seen  near  her.  At 
the  foot  of  the  couch  was  Tubber  Tintye  itself,  —  the 
well  of  fire.  There  was  a  golden  cover  upon  the 
well,  and  it  went  around  continually  with  the  couch 
of  the  queen. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  said  the  prince,  "  I  '11  rest 
here  a  while."  And  he  went  up  on  the  couch, 
and  never  left  it  for  six  days  and  nights. 

On  the  seventh  morning  he  said,  "  It  is  time  for 
me  now  to  leave  this  place."  So  he  came  down 
and  filled  the  three  bottles  with  water  from  the 
flaming  well.  In  the  golden  chamber  was  a  table 
of  gold,  and  on  the  table  a  leg  of  mutton  with  a 
loaf  of  bread ;  and  if  all  the  men  in  Erin  were  to 
eat  for  a  twelvemonth  from  the  table,  'the  mutton 
and  the  bread  would  be  in  the  same  form  after  the 
eating  as  before. 

The  prince  sat  down,  ate  his  fill  of  the  loaf  and 
the  leg  of  mutton,  and  left  them  as  he  had  found 
them.  Then  he  rose  up,  took  his  three  bottles, 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  107 

put  them  in  his  wallet,  and  was  leaving  the 
chamber,  when  he  said  to  himself:  "  It  would  be  a 
shame  to  go  away  without  leaving  something  by 
which  the  queen  may  know  who  was  here  while  she 
slept."  So  he  wrote  a  letter,  saying  that  the  son  of 
the  king  of  Erin  and  the  queen  of  the  Lonesome 
Island  had  spent  six  days  and  nights  in  the  gol- 
den chamber  of  Tubber  Tintye,  had  taken  away 
three  bottles  of  water  from  the  flaming  well,  and 
had  eaten  from  the  table  of  gold.  Putting  this 
letter  under  the  pillow  of  the  queen,  he  went  out, 
stood  in  the  open  window,  sprang  on  the  back  of 
the  lean  and  shaggy  little  horse,  and  passed  the 
trees  and  the  river  unharmed. 

When  they  were  near  his  aunt's  house,  the  horse 
stopped,  and  said :  "  Put  your  hand  into  my  ear, 
and  draw  out  of  it  a  Druidic  rod ;  then  cut  me  into 
four  quarters,  and  strike  each  quarter  with  the 
rod.  Each  one  of  them  will  become  the  son 
of  a  king,  for  four  princes  were  enchanted  and 
turned  into  the  lean  little  shaggy  horse  that 
carried  you  to  Tubber  Tintye.  When  you  have 
freed  the  four  princes  from  this  form  you  can 
free  your  two  aunts  from  the  spell  that  is  on 
them,  and  take  them  with  you  to  Lonesome 
Island." 

The  prince  did  as  the  horse  desired ;  and  straight- 
way four  princes  stood  before  him,  and  thanking 


io8      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

him  for  what  he  had  done,  they  departed  at  once, 
each  to  his  own  kingom. 

The  prince  removed  the  spell  from  his  aunts, 
and,  travelling  with  them  and  the  two  sons  of  the 
queen  of  Erin,  all  soon  appeared  at  the  castle  of 
the  king. 

When  they  were  near  the  door  of  their  mother's 
chamber,  the  elder  of  the  two  sons  of  the  queen 
of  Erin  stepped  up  to  the  prince  of  Lonesome 
Island,  snatched  the  three  bottles  from  the  wallet 
that  he  had  at  his  side,  and  running  up  to  his 
mother's  bed,  said :  "  Here,  mother,  are  the  three 
bottles  of  water  which  I  brought  you  from  Tubber 
Tintye." 

"  Thank  you,  my  son;  you  have  saved  my  life," 
said  she. 

The  prince  went  on  his  bark  and  sailed  away 
with  his  aunts  to  Lonesome  Island,  where  he  lived 
with  his  mother  seven  years. 

When  seven  years  were  over,  the  queen  of 
Tubber  Tintye  awoke  from  her  sleep  in  the  golden 
chamber ;  and  with  her  the  twelve  maidens  and  all 
the  giants,  beasts,  and  monsters  that  slept  in  the 
great  castle. 

When  the  queen  opened  her  eyes,  she  saw  a  boy 
about  six  years  old  playing  by  himself  on  the  floor. 
He  was  very  beautiful  and  bright,  and  he  had  gold 
on  his  forehead  and  silver  on  his  poll.  When  she 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  109 

saw  the  child,  she  began  to  cry  and  wring  her 
hands,  and  said :  "  Some  man  has  been  here  while 
I  slept." 

Straightway  she  sent  for  her  Seandallglic  (old 
blind  sage),  told  him  about  the  child,  and  asked: 
"What  am  I  to  do  now?" 

The  old  blind  sage  thought  a  while,  and  then 
said :  "  Whoever  was  here  must  be  a  hero ;  for  the 
child  has  gold  on  his  forehead  and  silver  on  his 
poll,  and  he  never  went  from  this  place  without 
leaving  his  name  behind  him.  Let  search  be 
made,  and  we  shall  know  who  he  was." 

Search  was  made,  and  at  last  they  found  the 
letter  of  the  prince  under  the  pillow  of  the  couch. 
The  queen  was  now  glad,  and  proud  of  the  child. 
Next  day  she  assembled  all  her  forces,  her 
giants  and  guards ;  and  when  she  had  them  drawn 
up  in  line,  the  army  was  seven  miles  long  from  van 
to  rear.  The  queen  opened  through  the  river  of 
fire  a  safe  way  for  the  host,  and  led  it  on  till  she 
came  to  the  castle  of  the  king  of  Erin.  She  held 
all  the  land  near  the  castle,  so  the  king  had  the  sea 
on  one  side,  and  the  army  of  the  queen  of  Tubber 
Tintye  on  the  other,  ready  to  destroy  him  and  all 
that  he  had.  The  queen  sent  a  herald  for  the 
king  to  come  down. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  asked  the  king 
when  he  came  to  her  tent.     "  I  have  had  trouble 


no     Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

enough  in  my  life  already,  without  having  more 
of  it  now." 

"  Find  for  me,"  said  the  queen,  "  the  man  who 
came  to  my  castle  and  entered  the  golden  chamber 
of  Tubber  Tintye  while  I  slept,  or  I  '11  sweep  you 
and  all  you  have  from  the  face  of  the  earth." 

The  king  of  Erin  called  down  his  elder  son,  and 
asked :   "  Did  you  enter  the  chamber  of  the  queen 
of  Tubber  Tintye?" 
"  I  did." 

"  Go,  then,  and  tell  her  so,  and  save  us." 
He  went ;  and  when  he  told  the  queen,  she  said  : 
"  If  you  entered  my  chamber,  then  mount  my  gray 
steed." 

He  mounted  the  steed ;  and  if  he  did,  the  steed 
rose  in  the  air  with  a  bound,  hurled  him  off  his 
back,  in  a  moment,  threw  him  on  a  rock,  and  dashed 
the  brains  out  of  his  head. 

The  king  called  down  his  second  son,  who  said 
that  he  had  been  in  the  golden  chamber.  Then  he 
mounted  the  gray  steed,  which  killed  him  as  it  had 
his  brother. 

Now  the  queen  called  the  king  again,  and  said : 
"  Unless  you  bring  the  man  who  entered  my  gold- 
en chamber  while  I  slept,  I  '11  not  leave  a  sign 
of  you  or  anything  you  have  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth." 

Straightway  the   king   sent   a    message   to   the 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  \  1 1 

queen    of  Lonesome   Island,    saying:    "Come   to 
me  with  your  son  and  your  two  sisters !  " 

The  queen  set  out  next  morning,  and  at  sunset 
she  drew  up  her  boat  under  the  castle  of  the  king 
of  Erin.  Glad  were  they  to  see  her  at  the  castle, 
for  great  dread  was  on  all. 

Next  morning  the  king  went  down  to  the  queen 
of  Tubber  Tintye,  who  said :  "  Bring  me  the  man 
who  entered  my  castle,  or  I  '11  destroy  you  and  all 
you  have  in  Erin  this  day." 

The  king  went  up  to  the  castle ;  immediately 
the  prince  of  Lonesome  Island  went  to  the  queen. 

"  Are  you  the  man  who  entered  my  castle?" 
asked  she. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  prince. 

"  Go  up  now  on  my  gray  steed !  "  said  the 
queen. 

He  sat  on  the  gray  steed,  which  rose  under  him 
into  the  sky.  The  prince  stood  on  the  back  of 
the  horse,  and  cut  three  times  with  his  sword  as  he 
went  up  under  the  sun.  When  he  came  to  the 
earth  again,  the  queen  of  Tubber  Tintye  ran  over 
to  him,  put  his  head  on  her  bosom, .and  said: 
"  You  are  the  man." 

Now  she  called  the  queen  of  Erin  to  her  tent, 
and  drawing  from  her  own  pocket  a  belt  of  silk, 
slender  as  a  cord,  she  said :  "  Put  this  on." 

The  queen  of  Erin  put  it  on,  and  then  the  queen 


1 1  2      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

of  Tubber  Tintye  said  :  "  Tighten,  belt !  "  The 
belt  tightened  till  the  queen  of  Erin  screamed  with 
pain.  "  Now  tell  me,"  said  the  queen  of  Tubber 
Tintye,  "  who  was  the  father  of  your  elder  son." 

"  The  gardener,"  said  the  queen  of  Erin. 

Again  the  queen  of  Tubber  Tintye  said : 
"  Tighten,  belt !  "  The  queen  of  Erin  screamed 
worse  than  before;  and  she  had  good  reason,  for 
she  was  cut  nearly  in  two.  "  Now  tell  me  who 
was  the  father  of  your  second  son." 

"  The  big  brewer,"  said  the  queen  of  Erin. 

Said  the  queen  of  Tubber  Tintye  to  the  king  of 
Erin :  "  Get  this  woman  dead." 

The  king  put  down  a  big  fire  then,  and  when  it 
was  blazing  high,  he  threw  the  wife  in,  and  she  was 
destroyed  at  once. 

"  Now  do  you  marry  the  queen  of  Lonesome 
Island,  and  my  child  will  be  grandchild  to  you 
and  to  her,"  said  the  queen  of  Tubber  Tintye. 

This  was  done,  and  the  queen  of  Lonesome 
Island  became  queen  of  Erin  and  lived  in  the 
castle  by  the  sea.  And  the  queen  of  Tubber 
Tintye  married  the  prince  of  Lonesome  Island,  the 
champion  who  entered  the  golden  chamber  while 
she  slept. 

Now  the  king  of  Erin  sent  ten  ships  with  mes- 
sages to  all  the  kings  of  the  world,  inviting  them 
to  come  to  the  wedding  of  the  queen  of  Tubber 


The  King  of  Erin,  etc.  113 

Tintye  and  his  son,  and  to  his  own  wedding  with 
the  queen  of  Lonesome  Island. 

The  queen  removed  the  Druidic  spells  from  her 
giants,  beasts,  and  monsters;  then  went  home, 
and  made  the  prince  of  Lonesome  Island  king  of 
Tubber  Tintye  and  lord  of  the  golden  chamber. 


THE  SHEE  AN  GANNON  AND  THE 
GRUAGACH  GAIRE. 

THE  Shee  an  Gannon  1  was  born  in  the  morn- 
ing, named  at  noon,  and  went  in  the  evening 
to  ask  his  daughter  of  the  king  of  Erin. 

"  I  will  give  you  my  daughter  in  marriage,"  said 
the  king  of  Erin ;  "  you  won't  get  her,  though, 
unless  you  go  and  bring  me  back  the  tidings  that 
I  want,  and  tell  me  what  it  is  that  put  a  stop  to 
the  laughing  of  the  Gruagach  Gaire,2  who  before 
this  laughed  always,  and  laughed  so  loud  that  the 
whole  world  heard  him.  There  are  twelve  iron 
spikes  out  here  in  the  garden  behind  my  castle. 
On  eleven  of  the  spikes  are  the  heads  of  kings' 
sons  who  came  seeking  my  daughter  in  marriage, 
and  all  of  them  went  away  to  get  the  knowledge 
I  wanted.  Not  one  was  able  to  get  it  and  tell  me 
what  stopped  the  Gruagach  Gaire  from  laughing. 
I  took  the  heads  off  them  all  when  they  came 
back  without  the  tidings  for  which  they  went,  and 

1  Shee  an  Gannon,  in  Gaelic  "  Sighe  an  Gannon,"  the  fairy 
of  the  Gannon. 

2  The  laughing  Gruagach. 


Shee  an  Gannon  and  Gruagach  Gaire.     115 

I  'm  greatly  in  dread  that  your  head  "11  be  on  the 
twelfth  spike,  for  I  '11  do  the  same  to  you  that  I  did 
to  the  eleven  kings'  sons  unless  you  tell  what  put  a 
stop  to  the  laughing  of  the  Gruagach." 

The  Shee  an  Gannon  made  no  answer,  but  left 
the  king  and  pushed  away  to  know  could  he  find 
why  the  Gruagach  was  silent. 

He  took  a  glen  at  a  step,  a  hill  at  a  leap,  and 
travelled  all  day  till  evening.  Then  he  came  to  a 
house.  The  master  of  the  house  asked  him  what 
sort  was  he,  and  he  said :  "  A  young  man  looking 
for  hire." 

"  Well,"  said  the  master  of  the  house,  "  I  was 
going  to-morrow  to  look  for  a  man  to  mind  my 
cows.  If  you  '11  work  for  me,  you  '11  have  a  good 
place,  the  best  food  a  man  could  have  to  eat  in  this 
world,  and  a  soft  bed  to  lie  on." 

The  Shee  an  Gannon  took  service,  and  ate  his 
supper.  Then  the  master  of  the  house  said :  "  I 
am  the  Gruagach  Gaire;  now  that  you  are  my 
man  and  have  eaten  your  supper,  you  '11  have  a 
bed  of  silk  to  sleep  on." 

Next  morning  after  breakfast  the  Gruagach  said 
to  the  Shee  an  Gannon :  "  Go  out  now  and  loosen 
my  five  golden  cows  and  my  bull  without  horns, 
and  drive  them  to  pasture;  but  when  you  have 
them  out  on  the  grass,  be  careful  you  don't  let 
them  go  near  the  land  of  the  giant." 


1 1 6      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

The  new  cowboy  drove  the  cattle  to  pasture, 
and  when  near  the  land  of  the  giant,  he  saw  it  was 
covered  with  woods  and  surrounded  by  a  high 
wall.  He  went  up,  put  his  back  against  the  wall, 
and  threw  in  a  great  stretch  of  it ;  then  he  went 
inside  and  threw  out  another  great  stretch  of  the 
wall,  and  put  the  five  golden  cows  and  the  bull 
without  horns  on  the  land  of  the  giant. 

Then  he  climbed  a  tree,  ate  the  sweet  apples 
himself,  and  threw  the  sour  ones  down  to  the 
cattle  of  the  Gruagach  Gaire. 

Soon  a  great  crashing  was  heard  in  the  woods, 
—  the  noise  of  young  trees  bending,  and  old  trees 
breaking.  The  cowboy  looked  around,  and  saw  a 
five-headed  giant  pushing  through  the  trees ;  and 
soon  he  was  before  him. 

"Poor  miserable  creature!"  said  the  giant; 
"  but  were  n't  you  impudent  to  come  to  my  land 
and  trouble  me  in  this  way?  You  're  too  big  for 
one  bite,  and  too  small  for  two.  I  don't  know  what 
to  do  but  tear  you  to  pieces." 

"  You  nasty  brute,"  said  the  cowboy,  coming 
down  to  him  from  the  tree,  "  't  is  little  I  care  for 
you ;  "  and  then  they  went  at  each  other.  So  great 
was  the  noise  between  them  that  there  was  nothing 
in  the  world  but  what  was  looking  on  and  listening 
to  the  combat. 

They  fought  till  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the 


Shee  an  Gannon  and  Gruagach  Gaire.     1 1 7 

giant  was  getting  the  upper  hand ;  and  then  the 
cowboy  thought  that  if  the  giant  should  kill  him, 
his  father  and  mother  would  never  find  him  or  set 
eyes  on  him  again,  and  he  would  never  get  the 
daughter  of  the  king  of  Erin.  The  heart  in  his 
body  grew  strong  at  this  thought.  He  sprang  on 
the  giant,  and  with  the  first  squeeze  and  thrust 
he  put  him  to  his  knees  in  the  hard  ground,  with 
the  second  thrust  to  his  waist,  and  with  the  third 
to  his  shoulders. 

"  I  have  you  at  last ;  you  're  done  for  now  !  "  said 
the  cowboy.  Then  he  took  out  his  knife,  cut  the 
five  heads  off  the  giant,  and  when  he  had  them  off 
he  cut  out  the  tongues  and  threw  the  heads  over 
the  wall. 

Then  he  put  the  tongues  in  his  pocket  and 
drove  home  the  cattle.  That  evening  the  Grua- 
gach could  n't  find  vessels  enough  in  all  his  place 
to  hold  the  milk  of  the  five  golden  cows. 

After  supper  the  cowboy  would  give  no  talk  to 
his  master,  but  kept  his  mind  to  himself,  and  went 
to  the  bed  of  silk  to  sleep. 

Next  morning  after  breakfast  the  cowboy  drove 
out  his  cattle,  and  going  on  farther  than  the  day 
before,  stopped  at  a  high  wall.  He  put  his  back 
to  the  wall,  threw  in  a  long  stretch  of  it,  then  went 
in  and  threw  out  another  long  stretch  of  it. 

After  that  he  put  the  five  golden  cows  and  the 


1 1 8      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

bull  without  horns  on  the  land,  and  going  up  on  a 
tree,  ate  sweet  apples  himself,  and  threw  down  the 
sour  ones  to  the  cattle. 

Now  the  son  of  the  king  of  Tisean  set  out  from 
the  king  of  Erin  on  the  same  errand,  after  asking 
for  his  daughter ;  and  as  soon  as  the  cowboy  drove 
in  his  cattle  on  the  second  day,  he  came  along  by 
the  giant's  land,  found  the  five  heads  of  the  giant 
thrown  out  by  the  cowboy  the  day  before,  and 
picking  them  up,  ran  off  to  the  king  of  Erin  and 
put  them  down  before  him. 

"  Oh,  you  have  done  good  work  !  "  said  the  king. 
"  You  have  won  one  third  of  my  daughter." 

Soon  after  the  cowboy  had  begun  to  eat  sweet 
apples,  and  the  son  of  the  king  of  Tisean  had  run 
off  with  the  five  heads,  there  came  a  great  noise 
of  young  trees  bending,  and  old  trees  breaking, 
and  presently  the  cowboy  saw  a  giant  larger  than 
the  one  he  had  killed  the  day  before. 

"  You  miserable  little  wretch  !  "  cried  the  giant ; 
"  what  brings  you  here  on  my  land?  " 

"  You  wicked  brute !  "  said  the  cowboy,  "  I 
don't  care  for  you ;  "  and  slipping  down  from  the 
tree,  he  fell  upon  the  giant. 

The  fight  was  fiercer  than  his  first  one;  but 
towards  evening,  when  he  was  growing  faint,  the 
cowboy  remembered  that  if  he  should  fall,  neither 
his  father  nor  mother  would  see  him  again,  and 


Shee  an  Gannon  and  Gruagach  Gaire.     119 

he  would  never  get  the  daughter  of  the  king  of 
Erin. 

This  thought  gave  him  strength;  and  jumping 
up,  he  caught  the  giant,  put  him  with  one  thrust 
to  his  knees  in  the  hard  earth,  with  a  second  to 
his  waist,  with  a  third  to  his  shoulders,  and  then 
swept  the  five  heads  off  him  and  threw  them  over 
the  wall,  after  he  had  cut  out  the  tongues  and  put 
them  in  his  pocket. 

Leaving  the  body  of  the  giant,  the  cowboy 
drove  home  the  cattle,  and  the  Gruagach  had  still 
greater  trouble  in  finding  vessels  for  the  milk  of 
the  five  golden  cows. 

After  supper  the  cowboy  said  not  a  word,  but 
went  to  sleep. 

Next  morning  he  drove  the  cattle  still  farther, 
and  came  to  green  woods  and  a  strong  wall. 
Putting  his  back  to  the  wall,  he  threw  in  a  great 
piece  of  it,  and  going  in,  threw  out  another  piece. 
Then  he  drove  the  five  golden  cows  and  the  bull 
without  horns  to  the  land  inside,  ate  sweet  apples 
himself,  and  threw  down  sour  ones  to  the  cattle. 

The  son  of  the  king  of  Tisean  came  and  carried 
off  the  heads  as  on  the  day  before. 

Presently  a  third  giant  came  crashing  through 
the  woods,  and  a  battle  followed  more  terrible 
than  the  other  two. 

Towards  evening  the  giant  was  gaining  the  up- 


1 20      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

per  hand,  and  the  cowboy,  growing  weak,  would 
have  been  killed ;  but  the  thought  of  his  parents 
and  the  daughter  of  the  king  of  Erin  gave  him 
strength,  and  he  swept  the  five  heads  off  the  giant, 
and  threw  them  over  the  wall  after  he  had  put  the 
tongues  in  his  pocket. 

Then  the  cowboy  drove  home  his  cattle ;  and  the 
Gruagach  did  n't  know  what  to  do  with  the  milk 
of  the  five  golden  cows,  there  was  so  much  of  it. 

But  when  the  cowboy  was  on  the  way  home 
with  the  cattle,  the  son  of  the  king  of  Tisean  came, 
took  the  five  heads  of  the  giant,  and  hurried  to  the 
king  of  Erin. 

"  You  have  won  my  daughter  now,"  said  the 
king  of  Erin  when  he  saw  the  heads;  "  but  you  '11 
not  get  her  unless  you  tell  me  what  stops  the 
Gruagach  Gaire  from  laughing." 

On  the  fourth  morning  the  cowboy  rose  before 
his  master,  and  the  first  words  he  said  to  the  Grua- 
gach were : 

"  What  keeps  you  from  laughing,  you  who 
used  to  laugh  so  loud  that  the  whole  world  heard 
you?" 

"  I  'm  sorry,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "  that  the 
daughter  of  the  king  of  Erin  sent  you  here." 

"  If  you  don't  tell  me  of  your  own  will,  I  '11  make 
you  tell  me,"  said  the  cowboy ;  and  he  put  a  face 
on  himself  that  was  terrible  to  look  at,  and  run- 


Shee  an  Gannon  and  Gruagach  Gaire.     121 

ning  through  the  house  like  a  madman,  could  find 
nothing  that  would  give  pain  enough  to  the  Grua- 
gach but  some  ropes  made  of  untanned  sheepskin 
hanging  on  the  wall. 

He  took  these  down,  caught  the  Gruagach,  fas- 
tened his  two  hands  behind  him,  and  tied  his  feet 
so  that  his  little  toes  were  whispering  to  his  ears. 
When  he  was  in  this  state  the  Gruagach  said: 
"  I  '11  tell  you  what  stopped  my  laughing  if  you 
set  me  free." 

So  the  cowboy  unbound  him,  the  two  sat  down 
together,  and  the  Gruagach  said :  — 

"  I  lived  in  this  castle  here  with  my  twelve  sons. 
We  ate,  drank,  played  cards,  and  enjoyed  our- 
selves, till  one  day  when  my  sons  and  I  were  play- 
ing, a  wizard  hare  came  rushing  in,  jumped  on 
our  table,  defiled  it,  and  ran  away. 

"  On  another  day  he  came  again ;  but  if  he  did, 
we  were  ready  for  him,  my  twelve  sons  and  my- 
self. As  soon  as  he  defiled  our  table  and  ran  off, 
we  made  after  him,  and  followed  him  till  nightfall, 
when  he  went  into  a  glen.  We  saw  a  light  before 
us.  I  ran  on,  and  came  to  a  house  with  a  great 
apartment,  where  there  was  a  man  with  twelve 
daughters,  and  the  hare  was  tied  to  the  side  of 
the  room  near  the  women. 

"  There  was  a  large  pot  over  the  fire  in  the 
room,  and  a  great  stork  boiling  in  the  pot.  The 


122      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland, 

man  of  the  house  said  to  me :  '  There  are  bundles 
of  rushes  at  the  end  of  the  room,  go  there  and  sit 
down  with  your  men !  ' 

"  He  went  into  the  next  room  and  brought  out 
two  pikes,  one  of  wood,  the  other  of  iron,  and 
asked  me  which  of  the  pikes  would  I  take.  I 
said,  '  I  '11  take  the  iron  one ;  '  for  I  thought  in  my 
heart  that  if  an  attack  should  come  on  me,  I  could 
defend  myself  better  with  the  iron  than  the  wooden 
pike. 

"  The  man  of  the  house  gave  me  the  iron  pike, 
and  the  first  chance  of  taking  what  I  could  out  of 
the  pot  on  the  point  of  the  pike.  I  got  but  a 
small  piece  of  the  stork,  and  the  man  of  the  house 
took  all  the  rest  on  his  wooden  pike.  We  had 
to  fast  that  night;  and  when  the  man  and  his 
twelve  daughters  ate  the  flesh  of  the  stork,  they 
hurled  the  bare  bones  in  the  faces  of  my  sons  and 
myself. 

"  We  had  to  stop  all  night  that  way,  beaten  on 
the  faces  by  the  bones  of  the  stork. 

"  Next  morning,  when  we  were  going  away,  the 
man  of  the  house  asked  me  to  stay  a  while ;  and 
going  into  the  next  room,  he  brought  out  twelve 
loops  of  iron  and  one  of  wood,  and  said  to  me : 
'  Put  the  heads  of  your  twelve  sons  into  the  iron 
loops,  or  your  own  head  into  the  wooden  one;  ' 
and  I  said :  '  I  '11  put  the  twelve  heads  of  my  sons 


Shee  an  Gannon  and  Gruagach  Gaire.     123 

in  the  iron  loops,  and  keep   my  own  out  of  the 
wooden  one.' 

"  He  put  the  iron  loops  on  the  necks  of  my 
twelve  sons,  and  put  the  wooden  one  on  his  own 
neck.  Then  he  snapped  the  loops  one  after 
another,  till  he  took  the  heads  off  my  twelve  sons 
and  threw  the  heads  and  bodies  out  of  the  house ; 
but  he  did  nothing  to  hurt  his  own  neck. 

"  When  he  had  killed  my  sons  he  took  hold  of 
me  and  stripped  the  skin  and  flesh  from  the  small 
of  my  back  down,  and  when  he  had  done  that  he 
took  the  skin  of  a  black  sheep  that  had  been  hang- 
ing on  the  wall  for  seven  years  and  clapped  it  on 
my  body  in  place  of  my  own  flesh  and  skin ;  and 
the  sheepskin  grew  on  me,  and  every  year  since 
then  I  shear  myself,  and  every  bit  of  wool  I  use 
for  the  stockings  that  I  wear  I  clip  off  my  own 
back." 

When  he  had  said  this,  the  Gruagach  showed 
the  cowboy  his  back  covered  with  thick  black 
wool. 

After  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  the  cowboy 
said :  "  I  know  now  why  you  don't  laugh,  and 
small  blame  to  you.  But  does  that  hare  come 
here  still  to  spoil  your  table?" 

"  He  does  indeed,"  said  the  Gruagach. 

Both  went  to  the  table  to  play,  and  they  were 
not  long  playing  cards  when  the  hare  ran  in ;  and 


124      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

before  they  could  stop  him  he  was  on  the  table, 
and  had  put  it  in  such  a  state  that  they  could  not 
play  on  it  longer  if  they  had  wanted  to. 

But  the  cowboy  made  after  the  hare,  and  the 
Gruagach  after  the  cowboy,  and  they  ran  as  fast 
as  ever  their  legs  could  carry  them  till  nightfall ; 
and  when  the  hare  was  entering  the  castle  where 
the  twelve  sons  of  the  Gruagach  were  killed,  the 
cowboy  caught  him  by  the  two  hind  legs  and 
dashed  out  his  brains  against  the  wall;  and  the 
skull  of  the  hare  was  knocked  into  the  chief  room 
of  the  castle,  and  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  master  of 
the  place. 

"  Who  has  dared  to  interfere  with  my  fighting 
pet?  "  screamed  he. 

"I,"  said  the  cowboy;  "and  if  your  pet  had 
had  manners,  he  might  be  alive  now." 

The  cowboy  and  the  Gruagach  stood  by  the  fire. 
A  stork  was  boiling  in  the  pot,  as  when  the  Grua- 
gach came  the  first  time.  The  master  of  the  house 
went  into  the  next  room  and  brought  out  an  iron 
and  a  wooden  pike,  and  asked  the  cowboy  which 
would  he  choose. 

"  I  '11  take  the  wooden  one,"  said  the  cowboy ; 
"  and  you  may  keep  the  iron  one  for  yourself." 

So  he  took  the  wooden  one ;  and  going  to  the 
pot,  brought  out  on  the  pike  all  the  stork  except 
a  small  bite,  and  he  and  the  Gruagach  fell  to  eat- 


Shee  an  Gannon  and  Gruagach  Gaire.     125 

ing,  and  they  were  eating  the  flesh  of  the  stork  all 
night.  The  cowboy  and  the  Gruagach  were  at 
home  in  the  place  that  time. 

In  the  morning  the  master  of  the  house  went 
into  the  next  room,  took  down  the  twelve  iron 
loops  with  a  wooden  one,  brought  them  out,  and 
asked  the  cowboy  which  would  he  take,  the  twelve 
iron  or  the  one  wooden  loop. 

"  What  could  I  do  with  the  twelve  iron  ones  for 
myself  or  my  master?  I  '11  take  the  wooden  one." 

He  put  it  on,  and  taking  the  twelve  iron  loops, 
put  them  on  the  necks  of  the  twelve  daughters  of 
the  house,  then  snapped  the  twelve  heads  off 
them,  and  turning  to  their  father,  said :  "  I  '11  do 
the  same  thing  to  you  unless  you  bring  the  twelve 
sons  of  my  master  to  life,  and  make  them  as  well 
and  strong  as  when  you  took  their  heads." 

The  master  of  the  house  went  out  and  brought 
the  twelve  to  life  again ;  and  when  the  Gruagach 
saw  all  his  sons  alive  and  as  well  as  ever,  he  let  a 
laugh  out  of  himself,  and  all  the  Eastern  world 
heard  the  laugh. 

Then  the  cowboy  said  to  the  Gruagach :  "  It 's 
a  bad  thing  you  have  done  to  me,  for  the  daughter 
of  the  king  of  Erin  will  be  married  the  day  after 
your  laugh  is  heard." 

"  Oh !  then  we  must  be  there  in  time,"  said  the 
Gruagach ;  and  they  all  made  away  from  the  place 


1 26      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

as  fast  as  ever  they  could,  the  cowboy,  the  Grua- 
gach,  and  his  twelve  sons. 

On  the  road  they  came  to  a  woman  who  was 
crying  very  hard. 

"  What  is  your  trouble?  "  asked  the  cowboy. 

"  You  need  have  no  care,"  said  she,  "  for  I  will 
not  tell  you." 

"  You  must  tell  me,"  said  he,  "  for  I  '11  help  you 
out  of  it." 

"  Well,"  said  the  woman,  "  I  have  three  sons, 
and  they  used  to  play  hurley  with  the  three  sons 
of  the  king  of  the  Sasenach,1  and  they  were  more 
than  a  match  for  the  king's  sons.  And  it  was  the 
rule  that  the  winning  side  should  give  three  wallops 
of  their  hurleys  to  the  other  side;  and  my  sons 
were  winning  every  game,  and  gave  such  a  beating 
to  the  king's  sons  that  they  complained  to  their 
father,  and  the  king  carried  away  my  sons  to 
London,  and  he  is  going  to  hang  them  there 
to-day." 

"  I  '11  bring  them  here  this  minute,"  said  the 
cowboy. 

"  You  have  no  time,"  said  the  Gruagach. 

"Have  you  tobacco  and  a  pipe?"  asked  the 
cowboy  of  the  Gruagach. 

"  I  have  not,"  said  he. 

"Well,  I  have,"  said  the  cowboy;   and  putting 

1  Sasenach,  English. 


Shee  an  Gannon  and  Gruagach  Gaire.     127 

his  hand  in  his  pocket,  he  took  out  tobacco  and 
a  pipe,  gave  them  to  the  Gruagach,  and  said: 
"  I  '11  be  in  London  and  back  before  you  can  put 
tobacco  in  this  pipe  and  light  it." 

He  disappeared,  was  back  from  London  with 
the  three  boys  all  safe  and  well,  and  gave  them 
to  their  mother  before  the  Gruagach  could  get  a 
taste  of  smoke  out  of  the  pipe. 

"  Now  come  with  us,"  said  the  cowboy  to  the 
woman  and  her  sons,  "  to  the  wedding  of  the 
daughter  of  the  king  of  Erin." 

They  hurried  on ;  and  when  within  three  miles 
of  the  king's  castle  there  was  such  a  throng  of 
people  that  no  one  could  go  a  step  ahead.  "  We 
must  clear  a  road  through  this,"  said  the  cowboy. 

"  We  must  indeed,"  said  the  Gruagach ;  and  at 
it  they  went,  threw  the  people  some  on  one  side 
and  some  on  the  other,  and  soon  they  had  an 
opening  for  themselves  to  the  king's  castle. 

As  they  went  in,  the  daughter  of  the  king  of 
Erin  and  the  son  of  the  king  of  Tisean  were  on 
their  knees  just  going  to  be  married.  The  cow- 
boy drew  his  hand  on  the  bridegroom,  and  gave 
a  blow  that  sent  him  spinning  till  he  stopped  under 
a  table  at  the  other  side  of  the  room. 

"  What  scoundrel  struck  that  blow?"  asked  the 
king  of  Erin. 

"  It  was  I,"  said  the  cowboy. 


128      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  What  reason  had  you  to  strike  the  man  who 
won  my  daughter?  " 

"  It  was  I  who  won  your  daughter,  not  he ;  and 
if  you  don't  believe  me,  the  Gruagach  Gaire  is  here 
himself.  He  '11  tell  you  the  whole  story  from  be- 
ginning to  end,  and  show  you  the  tongues  of  the 
giants." 

So  the  Gruagach  came  up  and  told  the  king  the 
whole  story,  how  the  Shee  an  Gannon  had  become 
his  cowboy,  had  guarded  the  five  golden  cows  and 
the  bull  without  horns,  cut  off  the  heads  of  the  five- 
headed  giants,  killed  the  wizard  hare,  and  brought 
his  own  twelve  sons  to  life.  "  And  then,"  said  the 
Gruagach,  "  he  is  the  only  man  in  the  whole  world 
I  have  ever  told  why  I  stopped  laughing,  and  the 
only  one  who  has  ever  seen  my  fleece  of  wool." 

When  the  king  of  Erin  heard  what  the  Gruagach 
said,  and  saw  the  tongues  of  the  giants  fitted  into 
the  heads,  he  made  the  Shee  an  Gannon  kneel 
down  by  his  daughter,  and  they  were  married  on 
the  spot. 

Then  the  son  of  the  king  of  Tisean  was  thrown 
into  prison,  and  the  next  day  they  put  down  a 
great  fire,  and  the  deceiver  was  burned  to  ashes. 

The  wedding  lasted  nine  days,  and  the  last  day 
was  better  than  the  first. 


THE  THREE  DAUGHTERS  OF  THE  KING 
OF  THE  EAST,  AND  THE  SON  OF  A 
KING  IN  ERIN. 

r  I  ^HERE  was  once  a  king  in  Erin,  and  he  had 
•*-  an  only  son.  While  this  son  was  a  little  child 
his  mother  died. 

After  a  time  the  king  married  and  had  a  sec- 
ond son. 

The  two  boys  grew  up  together;  and  as  the 
elder  was  far  handsomer  and  better  than  the 
younger,  the  queen  became  jealous,  and  was  for 
banishing  him  out  of  her  sight. 

The  king's  castle  stood  near  the  shore  of  Loch 
Erne,  and  three  swans  came  every  day  to  be  in 
the  water  and  swim  in  the  lake.  The  elder  brother 
used  to  go  fishing ;  and  once  when  he  sat  at  the 
side  of  the  water,  the  three  swans  made  young 
women  of  themselves,  came  to  where  he  sat,  and 
talked  to  the  king's  son. 

The  queen  had  a  boy  minding  cows  in  the  place, 
and  when  he  went  home  that  night  he  told  about 
what  he  had  seen,  —  that  there  were  three  young 
women  at  the  lake,  and  the  king's  son  was  talking 

9 


1 30      Myths  and  Fo Ik-Lore  of  Ireland. 

to  the  three  that  day.  Next  morning  the  queen 
called  the  cowboy  to  her,  and  said :  "  Here  is  a 
pin  of  slumber ;  and  do  you  stick  it  in  the  clothes 
of  the  king's  son  before  the  young  women  come, 
and  when  they  go  away,  take  out  the  pin  and  bring 
it  back  to  me." 

That  day  when  the  cowboy  saw  the  three  young 
women  coming,  he  went  near  and  threw  the  pin, 
which  stuck  in  the  clothes  of  the  king's  son.  That 
instant  he  fell  asleep  on  the  ground. 

When  the  young  women  came,  one  of  them  took 
a  towel,  dipped  it  in  the  cold  water  of  the  lake, 
and  rubbed  his  face ;  but  she  could  not  rouse  him. 
When  their  time  came  to  go,  they  were  crying  and 
lamenting  because  the  young  man  was  asleep ;  and 
one  of  the  three  put  a  gold  pin  in  his  bosom,  so 
that  when  he  woke  up  he  would  find  it  and  keep 
her  in  mind. 

After  they  had  gone  a  couple  of  hours,  the  cow- 
boy came  up,  took  out  the  sleeping-pin,  and  hur- 
ried off.  The  king's  son  woke  up  without  delay ; 
and  finding  the  gold  pin  in  his  bosom,  he  knew 
the  young  woman  had  come  to  see  him. 

Next  day  he  fished  and  waited  again.  When 
the  cowboy  saw  the  young  women  coming  out  of 
the  lake,  he  stole  up  a  second  time,  and  threw  the 
pin,  which  stuck  in  his  clothes,  and  that  moment 
he  was  drowsy  and  fell  asleep.  When  the  young 


Daughters  of  the  King  of  the  East,  etc.      1 3 1 

women  came  he  was  lying  on  the  ground  asleep. 
One  of  them  rubbed  him  with  a  towel  dipped  in 
the  water  of  the  lake;  but  no  matter  what  she  did, 
he  slept  on,  and  when  they  had  to  go,  she  put  a 
gold  ring  in  his  bosom.  When  the  sisters  were 
leaving  the  lake,  and  had  put  on  their  swan-skins 
and  become  swans,  they  all  flew  around  him  and 
flapped  their  wings  in  his  face  to  know  could  they 
rouse  him ;  but  there  was  no  use  in  trying. 

After  they  had  gone,  the  cowboy  came  and  took 
out  the  sleeping-pin.  When  the  king's  son  was 
awake  he  put  his  hand  in  his  bosom,  found  the 
keepsake,  and  knew  that  the  sisters  had  come 
to  him. 

When  he  went  fishing  the  third  day,  he  called  up 
the  cowboy  and  said:  "  I  fall  asleep  every  day.  I 
know  something  is  done  to  me.  Now  do  you  tell 
me  all.  In  time  I  '11  reward  you  well.  I  know  my 
stepmother  sends  something  by  you  that  takes  my 
senses  away." 

"  I  would  tell,"  said  the  cowboy,  "  but  I  'm  in 
dread  my  mistress  might  kill  or  banish  me." 

"  She  will  not,  for  I  '11  put  you  in  the  way  she  '11 
not  harm  you.  You  see  my  fishing-bag  here? 
Now  throw  the  pin,  which  I  know  you  have, 
towards  me,  and  hit  the  bag." 

The  cowboy  did  as  he  was  told,  and  threw  the 
pin  into  the  fishing-bag,  where  it  remained  without 


132      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

harm  to  any  one.  The  cowboy  went  back  to  his 
cattle,  and  the  prince  fished  on  as  before.  The 
three  swans  were  out  in  the  middle  of  the  lake 
swimming  around  for  themselves  in  the  water,  and 
the  prince  moved  on,  fishing,  till  he  came  to  a 
bend  in  the  shore.  On  one  side  of  him  a  tongue 
of  land  ran  out  into  the  lake.  The  swans  came  to 
the  shore,  leaving  the  piece  of  land  between  them- 
selves and  the  prince.  Then  they  took  off  their  swan- 
skins, were  young  women,  and  bathed  in  the  lake. 

After  that  they  came  out,  put  on  the  dress  of 
young  women,  and  went  to  where  the  king's  son 
was  fishing. 

He  spoke  to  them,  and  asked  where  were  they 
from,  in  what  place  were  they  born,  and  why  were 
they  swans. 

They  said :  "  We  are  three  sisters,  daughters  of 
the  king  of  the  East,  and  we  have  two  brothers. 
Our  mother  died,  and  our  father  married  again, 
and  had  two  other  daughters ;  and  these  two  are 
not  so  good  looking  nor  so  well  favored  as  we,  and 
their  mother  was  in  dread  they  would  n't  get  such 
fine  husbands  as  we,  so  she  enchanted  us,  and  now 
we  are  going  about  the  world  from  lake  to  lake  in 
the  form  of  swans." 

Then  the  eldest  of  the  three  sisters  said  to  the 
king's  son :  "  What  kind  are  you,  and  where  were 
you  born?  " 


Daughters  of  the  King  of  the  East,  etc.     133 

"  I  was  born  in  Erin,"  said  he ;  "  and  when  I  was 
a  little  boy  my  mother  died,  my  father  married 
again  and  had  a  second  son,  and  that  son  was  n't 
to  the  eye  what  I  was,  and  my  stepmother  was  for 
banishing  me  from  my  father's  house  because  she 
thought  her  own  son  was  not  so  good  as  I  was,  and 
I  am  fishing  here  every  day  by  the  lake  to  keep 
out  of  her  sight." 

"  Well,"  said  the  eldest  sister,  "  I  thought  you 
were  a  king's  son,  and  so  I  came  to  you  in  my 
own  form  to  know  could  we  go  on  in  the  world 
together." 

"  I  don't  know  yet  what  to  do,"  said  the  king's 
son. 

"  Well,  be  sure  of  your  mind  to-morrow,  for  that 
will  be  the  last  day  for  me  here." 

When  the  cowboy  was  going  home,  the  king's 
son  gave  him  the  sleeping-pin  for  the  stepmother. 
When  he  had  driven  in  the  cattle,  the  cowboy  told 
the  queen  that  the  young  man  had  fallen  asleep  as 
on  the  two  other  days. 

But  there  was  an  old  witch  in  the  place  who 
was  wandering  about  the  lake  that  day.  She  saw 
everything,  went  to  the  queen,  and  told  her  how 
the  three  swans  had  made  young  women  of  them- 
selves, and  talked  with  her  stepson. 

When  the  queen  heard  the  old  witch,  she  fell 
into  a  terrible  rage  at  the  cowboy  for  telling  her 


1 34      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

a  lie,  and  banished  him  out  of  her  sight  forever. 
Then  she  got  another  cowboy,  and  sent  him  off 
with  the  sleeping-pin  next  day.  When  he  came 
near  the  lake,  the  king's  son  tried  to  drive  him  off; 
but  the  cowboy  threw  the  sleeping-pin  into  his 
clothes,  and  he  fell  down  near  the  edge  of  the 
water  without  sight  or  sense. 

The  three  sisters  came,  and  found  him  sleeping. 
They  rubbed  him,  and  threw  water  on  his  face,  but 
they  could  not  wake  him.  And  the  three  were  la- 
menting sorely,  for  they  had  brought  a  swan's 
skin  with  them  that  day,  so  the  king's  son  might 
make  a  swan  of  himself  and  fly  away  with  them, 
for  this  was  their  last  day  at  that  place ;  but  they 
could  do  nothing  now,  for  he  lay  there  dead  asleep 
on  the  ground  before  them. 

The  eldest  sister  pulled  out  her  handkerchief, 
and  the  falling  tears  dropped  on  it.  Then  she 
took  a  knife,  and  cut  one  of  the  nipples  from  her 
breast.  The  second  sister  wrote  on  the  handker- 
chief: "  Keep  this  in  mind  till  you  get  more  ac- 
count from  us."  They  put  it  in  his  bosom  and 
went  away. 

As  soon  as  the  sisters  had  gone,  the  cowboy 
came,  drew  out  the  pin,  and  hurried  away.  The 
stepmother  was  always  trying  to  banish  the  king's 
son,  hoping  that  something  might  happen  to  him, 
and  her  own  son  be  the  heir.  So  now  he  went  oft 


Daughters  of  the  King  of  the  East,  etc.      135 

and  wandered  away  through  Erin,  always  inquir- 
ing for  the  eldest  sister,  but  never  could  find 
her. 

At  the  end  of  seven  years  he  came  home,  and 
was  fishing  at  the  side  of  Loch  Erne  again,  when 
a  swan  flew  up  to  him  and  said :  "  Your  love  is 
lying  on  her  death-bed,  unless  you  go  to  save  her. 
She  is  bleeding  from  the  breast,  and  you  must  go 
to  her  now.  Go  straight  to  the  East !  " 

The  king's  son  went  straight  to  the  East,  and  on 
the  way  there  rose  up  storm  and  fog  against  him ; 
but  they  did  not  stop  him.  He  was  going  on  al- 
ways, and  when  he  was  three  weeks'  journey  from 
his  father's  castle  he  stumbled  one  dark,  misty  day 
and  fell  over  a  ditch.  When  he  rose  up  there 
stood  on  the  other  side  of  the  ditch  before  him  a 
little  horse,  all  bridled  and  saddled,  with  a  whip  on 
the  saddle.  The  horse  spoke  up  and  said:  "  If  you 
are  the  king's  son,  I  was  sent  here  to  meet  you,  and 
carry  you  to  the  castle  of  the  king  of  the  East. 
There  is  a  young  woman  at  the  castle  who  thinks 
it  long  till  she  sees  you.  Now  ask  me  no  ques- 
tions, for  I  'm  not  at  liberty  to  talk  to  you  till  I 
bring  you  to  the  East." 

"  I  suppose  we  are  to  be  a  long  time  going?  " 
said  the  king's  son. 

"Don't  trouble  yourself  about  the  going;  I'll 
take  you  safely.  Sit  on  my  back  now,  and  be  sure 


1 36      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

you  're  a  good  rider,  and  you  '11  not  be  long  on  the 
road.  This  is  my  last  word." 

They  went  on,  and  were  going  always ;  and  as 
he  travelled,  the  prince  met  the  wind  that  was  be- 
fore him,  and  the  wind  that  blew  behind  could  not 
come  up  with  him.  When  he  was  hungry  the 
pommel  of  the  saddle  opened,  and  he  found  the 
best  of  eating  inside. 

They  went  on  sweeping  over  the  world  for  two 
weeks,  and  when  they  were  near  the  East  the  horse 
said:  "  Get  down  from  my  back  now,  for  it's  tired 
I  am." 

"How  far  are  we  from  the  castle?"  asked  the 
king's  son. 

"  Five  days'  journey,"  answered  the  horse. 
"  When  you  come  to  the  castle,  don't  stop  a  mo- 
ment till  you  ask  where  the  young  woman  is 
lying;  and  tell  them  to  be  sure  to  give  good  sta- 
bling and  food  to  the  horse.  Come  and  see  me 
yourself  every  day.  If  you  don't,  there  will  be 
nothing  for  me  but  fasting ;  and  that 's  what  I  don't 
like." 

When  the  king's  son  came  to  the  castle  it  was 
evening.  The  two  younger  sisters  welcomed  him. 
(These  were  two  of  the  swans  at  the  lake  in  Erin, 
and  now  at  home  by  the  enchantment  of  their  step- 
mother. They  were  swans  in  the  daytime,  and 
women  only  at  night,  so  as  not  to  be  under  the 


Daughters  of  the  King  of  the  East,  etc.     137 

eye  of  young  men  when  these  came  to  see  the 
stepmother's  own  daughters.)  They  said :  "  Our 
sister  is  on  an  island,  and  we  '11  go  to  her."  They 
got  a  boat  for  the  young  man,  and  went  with  him 
to  where  their  sister  was  lying.  They  said  to  her : 
"  The  son  of  the  king  of  Erin  is  here." 

"  Let  him  come  in,  that  I  may  look  at  him," 
said  she. 

The  king's  son  went  in,  and  when  she  saw  him 
she  was  glad.  "  Have  you  anything  that  belongs 
to  me  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  I  have." 

"  Then  throw  it  on  my  breast." 

He  threw  the  handkerchief  on  her  breast  and 
went  away.  Next  day  she  rose  from  the  bed  as 
well  as  ever.  On  the  third  day  after  his  arrival, 
the  son  of  the  king  of  Erin  married  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  king  of  the  East,  and  the  step- 
mother's enchantment  was  destroyed;  and  there 
was  the  grandest  wedding  that  ever  was  seen  in 
that  kingdom. 

The  king's  son,  thinking  only  of  his  bride,  for- 
got all  about  the  horse  that  had  brought  him  over 
the  long  road.  When  at  last  he  went  to  see  him, 
the  stable  was  empty ;  the  horse  had  gone.  And 
neither  his  father  in  Erin  nor  the  stepmother  came 
to  his  mind,  he  was  living  so  pleasantly  in  the  East. 

But  after  he  had  been  there  a  long  time,  and  a 


1 38      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

son  and  a  daughter  had  been  born  to  him,  he  re- 
membered his  father.  Then  he  made  up  his  mind 
not  to  let  the  stepmother's  son  be  heir  to  the  king- 
dom in  place  of  himself.  So  taking  his  wife  and 
children,  he  left  the  East  and  travelled  to  Erin. 
He  stopped  on  the  road,  and  sent  word  to  the 
father  that  he  was  coming. 

When  the  stepmother  heard  the  news,  a  great 
weakness  came  on  her.  She  fell  into  a  fit  and 
died. 

The  king's  son  waited  in  a  convenient  place  till 
the  funeral  was  over,  and  then  he  came  to  the  castle 
and  lived  with  his  father.  He  was  not  long  in  the 
place  when  he  sent  messengers  to  know  could  they 
find  the  cowboy  that  the  stepmother  banished  for 
telling  about  the  sleeping-pin.  They  brought  the 
cowboy  to  the  castle,  and  the  king  made  him  his 
coachman. 

The  cowboy  was  not  twelve  months  in  his  new 
place  before  he  married.  Then  the  king's  son 
gave  him  a  fine  piece  of  land  to  live  on,  with  six 
cows  and  four  horses.  There  was  not  a  happier 
man  in  the  kingdom  than  the  cowboy.  When  the 
father  died,  the  king's  son  became  king  in  Erin 
himself. 


THE   FISHERMAN'S   SON   AND   THE 
GRUAGACH   OF   TRICKS. 

THERE  was  an  old  fisherman  once  in  Erin  who 
had  a  wife  and  one  son. 

The  old  fisherman  used  to  go  about  with  a 
fishing-rod  and  tackle  to  the  rivers  and  lochs  and 
every  place  where  fish  resort,  and  he  was  killing 
salmon  and  other  fish  to  keep  the  life  in  himself 
and  his  wife  and  son. 

The  son  was  not  so  keen  nor  so  wise  as  another, 
and  the  father  was  instructing  him  every  day  in 
fishing,  so  that  if  himself  should  be  taken  from 
the  world,  the  son  would  be  able  to  support  the 
old  mother  and  get  his  own  living. 

One  day  when  the  father  and  son  were  fishing 
in  a  river  near  the  sea,  they  looked  out  over  the 
water  and  saw  a  small  dark  speck  on  the  waves. 
It  grew  larger  and  larger,  till  they  saw  a  boat,  and 
when  the  boat  drew  near  they  saw  a  man  sitting  in 
the  stern  of  it. 

There  was  a  nice  beach  near  the  place  where 
they  were  fishing.  The  man  brought  the  boat 
straight  to  the  beach,  and  stepping  out  drew  it 
up  on  the  sand. 


140      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

They  saw  then  that  the  stranger  was  a  man  of 
high  degree  (duine  uasal}. 

After  he  had  put  the  boat  high  on  the  sand,  he 
came  to  where  the  two  were  at  work,  and  said: 
"  Old  fisherman,  you  'd  better  let  this  son  of 
yours  with  me  for  a  year  and  a  day,  and  I  will 
make  a  very  wise  man  of  him.  I  am  the  Gruagach 
na  g-cleasan1  (Gruagach  of  tricks),  and  I'll  bind 
myself  to  be  here  with  your  son  this  day  year." 

"  I  can't  let  him  go,"  said  the  old  fisherman, 
"  till  he  gets  his  mother's  advice." 

"  Whatever  goes  as  far  as  women  I  '11  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with,"  said  the  Gruagach.  "  You  had 
better  give  him  to  me  now,  and  let  the  mother 
alone." 

They  talked  till  at  last  the  fisherman  promised 
to  let  his  son  go  for  the  year  and  a  day.  Then 
the  Gruagach  gave  his  word  to  have  the  boy  there 
at  the  seashore  that  day  year. 

The  Gruagach  and  the  boy  went  into  the  boat 
and  sailed  away. 

When  the  year  and  a  day  were  over,  the  old 
fisherman  went  to  the  same  place  where  he  had 
parted  with  his  son  and  the  Gruagach,  and  stood 
looking  over  the  sea,  thinking  would  he  see  his 
son  that  day. 

At  last  he  saw  a  black  spot  on  the  water,  then 
a  boat.  When  it  was  near  he  saw  two  men  sitting 
i  Pronounced  nd  gldssan. 


The  Fisherman  s  Son  and  the  Gruagach.   141 

in  the  stern  of  the  boat.  When  it  touched  land, 
the  two,  who  were  duine  uasal  in  appearance, 
jumped  out,  and  one  of  them  pulled  the  boat  to 
the  top  of  the  strand.  Then  that  one,  followed  by 
the  other,  came  to  where  the  old  fisherman  was 
waiting,  and  asked :  "  What  trouble  is  on  you  now, 
my  good  man?  " 

"  I  had  a  son  that  was  n't  so  keen  nor  so  wise  as 
another,  and  myself  and  this  son  were  here  fishing, 
and  a  stranger  came,  like  yourself  to-day,  and 
asked  would  I  let  my  son  with  him  for  a  year  and 
a  day.  I  let  the  son  go,  and  the  man  promised  to 
be  here  with  him  to-day,  and  that 's  why  I  am 
waiting  at  this  place  now." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "  am  I  your  son?  " 

"  You  are  not,"  said  the  fisherman. 

"  Is  this  man  here  your  son?  " 

"  I  don't  know  him,"  said  the  fisherman. 

"  Well,  then,  he  is  all  you  will  have  in  place  of 
your  son,"  said  the  Gruagach. 

The  old  man  looked  again,  and  knew  his  son. 
He  caught  hold  of  him  and  welcomed  him  home. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "  is  n't  he  a  better 
man  than  he  was  a  year  ago  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he 's  nearly  a  smart  man  now !  "  said  the 
old  fisherman. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "  will  you  let  him 
with  me  for  another  year  and  a  day?" 


142      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

"I  will  not,"  said  the  old  man;  "I  want  him 
myself." 

The  Gruagach  then  begged  and  craved  till  the 
fisherman  promised  to  let  the  son  with  him  for  a 
year  and  a  day  again.  But  the  old  man  forgot  to 
take  his  word  of  the  Gruagach  to  bring  back  the 
son  at  the  end  of  the  time ;  and  when  the  Gruagach 
and  the  boy  were  in  the  boat,  and  had  pushed 
out  to  sea,  the  Gruagach  shouted  to  the  old  man : 
"  I  kept  my  promise  to  bring  back  your  son  to- 
day. I  have  n't  given  you  my  word  at  all  now. 
I  '11  not  bring  him  back,  and  you  '11  never  see  him 
again." 

The  fisherman  went  home  with  a  heavy  and 
sorrowful  heart,  and  the  old  woman  scolded  him 
all  that  night  till  next  morning  for  letting  her  son 
go  with  the  Gruagach  a  second  time. 

Then  himself  and  the  old  woman  were  lament- 
ing a  quarter  of  a  year ;  and  when  another  quarter 
had  passed,  he  said  to  her:  "  I  '11  leave  you  here 
now,  and  I  '11  be  walking  on  myself  till  I  wear  my 
legs  off  up  to  my  knees,  and  from  my  knees  to 
my  waist,  till  I  find  where  is  my  son." 

So  away  went  the  old  man  walking,  and  he  used 
to  spend  but  one  night  in  a  house,  and  not  two 
nights  in  any  house,  till  his  feet  were  all  in  blisters. 
One  evening  late  he  came  to  a  hut  where  there 
was  an  old  woman  sitting  at  a  fire. 


The  Fisherman  s  Son  and  the  Gruagach.    143 

"  Poor  man !  "  said  she,  when  she  laid  eyes  on 
him,  "  it 's  a  great  distress  you  are  in,  to  be  so 
disfigured  with  wounds  and  sores.  What  is  the 
trouble  that 's  on  you  ?  " 

"  I  had  a  son,"  said  the  old  man,  "  and  the  Grua- 
gach  na  g-cleasan  came  on  a  day  and  took  him 
from  me." 

"  Oh,  poor  man  !  "  said  she.  "  I  have  a  son  with 
that  same  Gruagach.  these  twelve  years,  and  I  have 
never  been  able  to  get  him  back  or  get  sight  of 
him,  and  I  'm  in  dread  you  '11  not  be  able  to  get 
your  son  either.  But  to-morrow,  in  the  morning, 
I  '11  tell  you  all  I  know,  and  show  you  the  road 
you  must  go  to  find  the  house  of  the  Gruagach 
na  g-cleasan." 

Next  morning  she  showed  the  old  fisherman  the 
road.  He  was  to  come  to  the  place  by  evening. 

When  he  came  and  entered  the  house,  the 
Gruagach  shook  hands  with  him,  and  said :  "  You 
are  welcome,  old  fisherman.  It  was  I  that  put 
this  journey  on  you,  and  made  you  come  here 
looking  for  your  son." 

"  It  was  no  one  else  but  you,"  said  the  fisherman. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "  you  won't  see 
your  son  to-day.  At  noon  to-morrow  I  '11  put  a 
whistle  in  my  mouth  and  call  together  all  the  birds 
in  my  place,  and  they  '11  come.  Among  others 
will  be  twelve  doves.  I  '11  put  my  hand  in  my 


1 44      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

pocket,  this  way,  and  take  out  wheat  and  throw  it 
before  them  on  the  ground.  The  doves  will  eat 
the  wheat,  and  you  must  pick  your  son  out  of  the 
twelve.  If  you  find  him,  you  '11  have  him ;  if  you 
don't,  you  '11  never  get  him  again." 

After  the  Gruagach  had  said  these  words  the 
old  man  ate  his  supper  and  went  to  bed. 

In  the  dead  of  night  the  old  fisherman's  son 
came.  "  Oh,  father !  "  said  h^  "  it  would  be  hard 
for  you  to  pick  me  out  among  the  twelve  doves, 
if  you  had  to  do  it  alone;  but  I'll  tell  you. 
When  the  Gruagach  calls  us  in,  and  we  go  to 
pick  up  the  wheat,  I  '11  make  a  ring  around  the 
others,  walking  for  myself;  and  as  I  go  I  '11  give 
some  of  them  a  tip  of  my  bill,  and  I  '11  lift  my 
wings  when  I  'm  striking  them.  There  was  a  spot 
under  one  of  my  arms  when  I  left  home,  and 
you  '11  see  that  spot  under  my  wing  when  I  raise 
it  to-morrow.  Don't  miss  the  bird  that  I  '11  be, 
and  don't  let  your  eyes  off  it ;  if  you  do,  you  '11 
lose  me  forever." 

Next  morning  the  old  man  rose,  had  his  break- 
fast, and  kept  thinking  of  what  his  son  had  told 
him. 

At  midday  the  Gruagach  took  his  whistle  and 
blew.  Birds  came  to  him  from  every  part,  and 
among  others  the  twelve  doves. 

He  took  wheat  from  his  pocket,  threw  it  to  the 


The  Fisherman  s  Son  and  the  Gruagach.   145 

doves,  and  said  to  the  father :  "  Now  pick  out  your 
son  from  the  twelve." 

The  old  man  was  watching,  and  soon  he  saw 
one  of  the  doves  walking  around  the  other  eleven 
and  hitting  some  of  them  a  clip  of  its  bill,  and 
then  it  raised  its  wings,  and  the  old  man  saw  the 
spot.  The  bird  let  its  wings  down  again,  and  went 
to  eating  with  the  rest. 

The  father  never  let  his  eyes  off  the  bird.  After 
a  while  he  said  to  the  Gruagach :  "  I  '11  have  that 
bird  there  for  my  son." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "  that  is  your  son. 
I  can't  blame  you  for  having  him;  but  I  blame 
your  instructor  for  the  information  he  gave  you, 
and  I  give  him  my  curse." 

So  the  old  fisherman  got  his  son  back  in  his 
proper  shape,  and  away  they  went,  father  and  son, 
from  the  house  of  the  Gruagach.  The  old  man 
felt  stronger  now,  and  they  never  stopped  travel- 
ling a  day  till  they  came  home. 

The  old  mother  was  very  glad  to  see  her  son, 
and  see  him  such  a  wise,  smart  man. 

After  coming  home  they  had  no  means  but  the 
fishing ;  they  were  as  poor  as  ever  before. 

At  this  time  it  was  given  out  at  every  cross- 
road in  Erin,  and  in  all  public  places  in  the  king- 
dom, that  there  were  to  be  great  horse-races.  Now, 
when  the  day  came,  the  old  fisherman's  son  said : 

10 


146     Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Come  away  with  me,  father,  to  the  races." 

The  old  man  went  with  him,  and  when  they 
were  near  the  race-course,  the  son  said :  "  Stop 
here  till  I  tell  you  this :  I  '11  make  myself  into  the 
best  horse  that 's  here  to-day,  and  do  you  take  me 
to  the  place  where  the  races  are  to  be,  and  when 
you  take  me  in,  I  '11  open  my  mouth,  trying  to  kill 
and  eat  every  man  that  '11  be  near  me,  I  '11  have 
such  life  and  swiftness;  and  do  you  find  a  rider 
for  me  that  '11  ride  me,  and  don't  let  me  go  till  the 
other  horses  are  far  ahead  on  the  course.  Then 
let  me  go.  I  '11  come  up  to  them,  and  I  '11  run 
ahead  of  them  and  win  the  race.  After  that  every 
rich  man  there  will  want  to  buy  me  of  you ;  but 
don't  you  sell  me  to  any  man  for  less  than  five 
hundred  pounds ;  and  be  sure  you  get  that  price 
for  me.  And  when  you  have  the  gold,  and  you 
are  giving  me  up,  take  the  bit  out  of  my  mouth, 
and  don't  sell  the  bridle  for  any  money.  Then 
come  to  this  spot,  shake  the  bridle,  and  I  '11  be 
here  in  my  own  form  before  you." 

The  son  made  himself  a  horse,  and  the  old 
fisherman  took  him  to  the  race.  He  reared  and 
snorted,  trying  to  take  the  head  off  every  man  that 
came  near  him. 

The  old  man  shouted  for  a  rider.  A  rider 
came;  he  mounted  the  horse  and  held  him  in. 
The  old  man  did  n't  let  him  start  till  the  other 


The  Fisherman  s  Son  and  the  Gruagach.   147 

horses  were  well  ahead  on  the  course ;  then  he  let 
him  go. 

The  new  horse  caught  up  with  the  others  and 
shot  past  them.  So  they  had  not  gone  half  way 
when  he  was  in  at  the  winning-post. 

When  the  race  was  ended,  there  was  a  great  noise 
over  the  strange  horse.  Men  crowded  around  the 
old  fisherman  from  every  corner  of  the  field,  ask- 
ing what  would  he  take  for  the  horse. 

"  Five  hundred  pounds,"  said  he. 

"  Here  'tis  for  you,"  said  the  next  man  to  him. 

In  a  moment  the  horse  was  sold,  and  the  money 
in  the  old  man's  pocket.  Then  he  pulled  the 
bridle  off  the  horse's  head,  and  made  his  way  out 
of  the  place  as  fast  as  ever  he  could. 

It  was  not  long  till  he  was  at  the  spot  where  the 
son  had  told  him  what  to  do.  The  minute  he 
came,  he  shook  the  bridle,  and  the  son  was  there 
before  him  in  his  own  shape  and  features. 

Oh,  but  the  old  fisherman  was  glad  when  he 
had  his  son  with  him  again,  and  the  money  in  his 
pocket ! 

The  two  went  home  together.  They  had  money 
enough  now  to  live,  and  quit  the  fishing.  They 
had  plenty  to  eat  and  drink,  and  they  spent  their 
lives  in  ease  and  comfort  till  the  next  year,  when 
it  was  given  out  at  all  the  cross-roads  in  Erin,  and 
every  public  place  in  the  kingdom,  that  there  was 


1 48      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

to  be  a  great  hunting  with  hounds,  in  the  same 
place  where  the  races  had  been  the  year  before. 

When  the  day  came,  the  fisherman's  son  said: 
"  Come,  father,  let  us  go  away  to  this  hunting." 

"  Ah !  "  said  the  old  man,  "  what  do  we  want  to 
go  for?  Have  n't  we  plenty  to  eat  at  home,  with 
money  enough  and  to  spare?  What  do  we  care 
for  hunting  with  hounds?" 

"  Oh !  they  '11  give  us  more  money,"  said  the 
son,  "  if  we  go." 

The  fisherman  listened  to  his  son,  and  away  they 
went.  When  the  two  came  to  the  spot  where  the 
son  had  made  a  horse  of  himself  the  year  before, 
he  stopped,  and  said  to  the  father:  "  I  '11  make  a 
hound  of  myself  to-day,  and  when  you  bring  me 
in  sight  of  the  game,  you  '11  see  me  wild  with 
jumping  and  trying  to  get  away;  but  do  you 
hold  me  fast  till  the  right  time  comes,  then  let  go. 
I  '11  sweep  ahead  of  every  hound  in  the  field,  catch 
the  game,  and  win  the  prize  for  you. 

"  When  the  hunt  is  over,  so  many  men  will  come 
to  buy  me  that  they  '11  put  you  in  a  maze ;  but  be 
sure  you  get  three  hundred  pounds  for  me,  and 
when  you  have  the  money,  and  are  giving  me 
up,  don't  forget  to  keep  my  rope.  Come  to  this 
place,  shake  the  rope,  and  I  '11  be  here  before  you, 
as  I  am  now.  If  you  don't  keep  the  rope,  you  '11 
go  home  without  me." 


The  Fisherman  s  Son  and  the  Gruagach.    149 

The  son  made  a  hound  of  himself,  and  the  old 
father  took  him  to  the  hunting-ground. 

When  the  hunt  began,  the  hound  was  springing 
and  jumping  like  mad;  but  the  father  held  him 
till  the  others  were  far  out  in  the  field.  Then  he 
let  him  loose,  and  away  went  the  son. 

Soon  he  was  up  with  the  pack,  then  in  front  of 
the  pack,  and  never  stopped  till  he  caught  the 
game  and  won  the  prize. 

When  the  hunt  was  over,  and  the  dogs  and 
game  brought  in,  all  the  people  crowded  around 
the  old  fisherman,  saying:  "  What  do  you  want  of 
that  hound?  Better  sell  him;  he's  no  good  to 
you." 

They  put  the  old  man  in  a  maze,  there  were  so 
many  of  them,  and  they  pressed  him  so  hard. 

He  said  at  last:  "  I  '11  sell  the  hound;  and  three 
hundred  pounds  is  the  price  I  want  for  him." 

"  Here  't  is  for  you,"  said  a  stranger,  putting  the 
money  into  his  hand. 

The  old  man  took  the  money  and  gave  up  the 
dog,  without  taking  off  the  rope.  He  forgot  his 
son's  warning. 

That  minute  the  Gruagach  na  g-cleasan  called 
out:  "I'll  take  the  worth  of  my  money  out  of 
your  son  now;  "  and  away  he  went  with  the 
hound. 

The  old  man  walked  home  alone  that  night,  and 


1 50      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

it  is  a  heavy  heart  he  had  in  him  when  he  came  to 
the  old  woman  without  the  son.  And  the  two 
were  lamenting  their  lot  till  morning. 

Still  and  all,  they  were  better  off  than  the  first 
time  they  lost  their  son,  as  they  had  plenty  of 
everything,  and  could  live  at  their  ease. 

The  Gruagach  went  away  home,  and  put  the 
fisherman's  son  in  a  cave  of  concealment  that  he 
had,  bound  him  hand  and  foot,  and  tied  hard 
knots  on  his  neck  up  to  the  chin.  From  above 
there  fell  on  him  drops  of  poison,  and  every  drop 
that  fell  went  from  the  skin  to  the  flesh,  from 
the  flesh  to  the  bone,  from  the  bone  to  the  mar- 
row, and  he  sat  there  under  the  poison  drops,  with- 
out meat,  drink,  or  rest. 

In  the  Gruagach's  house  was  a  servant-maid, 
and  the  fisherman's  son  had  been  kind  to  her  the 
time  he  was  in  the  place  before. 

On  a  day  when  the  Gruagach  and  his  eleven 
sons  were  out  hunting,  the  maid  was  going  with  a 
tub  of  dirty  water  to  throw  it  into  the  river  that 
ran  by  the  side  of  the  house.  She  went  through 
the  cave  of  concealment  where  the  fisherman's  son 
was  bound,  and  he  asked  of  her  the  wetting  of  his 
mouth  from  the  tub. 

"  Oh !  the  Gruagach  would  take  the  life  of  me," 
said  she,  "  when  he  comes  home,  if  I  gave  you  as 
much  as  one  drop." 


The  Fisherman  s  Son  and  the  Gruagach.    151 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  when  I  was  in  this  house  be- 
fore, and  when  I  had  power  in  my  hands,  it 's  good 
and  kind  I  was  to  you ;  and  when  I  get  out  of  this 
confinement  I  '11  do  you  a  turn,  if  you  give  me  the 
wetting  of  my  mouth  now." 

The  maid  put  the  tub  near  his  lips. 

"Oh  !  I  can't  stoop  to  drink  unless  you  untie  one 
knot  from  my  throat,"  said  he. 

Then  she  put  the  tub  down,  stooped  to  him, 
and  loosed  one  knot  from  his  throat.  When  she 
loosed  the  one  knot  he  made  an  eel  of  himself, 
and  dropped  into  the  tub.  There  he  began  shak- 
ing the  water,  till  he  put  some  of  it  on  the  ground, 
and  when  he  had  the  place  about  him  wet,  he 
sprang  from  the  tub,  and  slipped  along  out  under 
the  door.  The  maid  caught  him;  but  could  not 
hold  him,  he  was  so  slippery.  He  made  his  way 
from  the  door  to  the  river,  which  ran  near  the  side 
of  the  house. 

When  the  Gruagach  na  g-cleasan  came  home 
in  the  evening  with  his  eleven  sons,  they  went  to 
take  a  look  at  the  fisherman's  son ;  but  he  was  not 
to  be  seen. 

Then  the  Gruagach  called  the  maid,  and  taking 
his  sword,  said :  "  I  '11  take  the  head  off  you  if  you 
don't  tell  me  this  minute  what  happened  while  I 
was  gone." 

"  Oh !  "  said  the  maid,  "  he  begged  so  hard  for 


152      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

a  drop  of  dirty  water  to  wet  his  mouth  that  I 
had  n't  the  heart  to  refuse,  for  't  is  good  he  was  to 
me  and  kind  each  time  he  saw  me  when  he  was 
here  in  the  house  before.  When  the  water  touched 
his  mouth,  he  made  an  eel  of  himself,  spilled  water 
out  of  the  tub,  and  slipped  along  over  the  wet 
place  to  the  river  outside.  I  caught  him  to  bring 
him  back,  but  I  could  n't  hold  him ;  in  spite  of  all 
I  could  do,  he  made  away." 

The  Gruagach  dropped  his  sword,  and  went  to 
the  water  side  with  his  sons. 

The  sons  made  eleven  eels  of  themselves,  and 
the  Gruagach  their  father  was  the  twelfth.  They 
went  around  in  the  water,  searching  in  every  place, 
and  there  was  not  a  stone  in  the  river  that  they 
passed  without  looking  under  and  around  it  for 
the  old  fisherman's  son. 

And  when  he  knew  that  they  were  after  him, 
he  made  himself  into  a  salmon;  and  when  they 
knew  he  was  a  salmon,  the  sons  made  eleven  otters 
of  themselves,  and  the  Gruagach  made  himself  the 
twelfth. 

When  the  fisherman's  son  found  that  twelve  otters 
were  after  him,  he  was  weak  with  hunger,  and  when 
they  had  come  near,  he  made  himself  a  whale.  But 
the  eleven  brothers  and  their  father  made  twelve 
cannon  whales  of  themselves,  for  they  had  all  gone 
out  of  the  river,  and  were  in  the  sea  now. 


The  Fisherman  s  Son  and  the  Gruagach.   153 

When  they  were  coming  near  him,  the  fisher- 
man's son  was  weak  from  pursuit  and  hunger,  so 
he  jumped  up  out  of  the  water,  and  made  a  swal- 
low of  himself;  but  the  Gruagach  and  his  sons 
became  twelve  hawks,  and  chased  the  swallow 
through  the  air;  and  as  they  whirled  round  and 
darted,  they  pressed  him  hard,  till  all  of  them  came 
near  the  castle  of  the  king  of  Erin. 

Now  the  king  had  made  a  summer-house  for  his 
daughter;  and  where  should  she  be  at  this  time 
but  sitting  on  the  top  of  the  summer-house. 

The  old  fisherman's  son  dropped  down  till  he 
was  near  her ;  then  he  fell  into  her  lap  in  the  form 
of  a  ring.  The  daughter  of  the  king  of  Erin 
took  up  the  ring,  looked  at  it,  and  put  it  on  her 
finger.  The  ring  took  her  fancy,  and  she  was 
glad. 

When  the  Gruagach  and  his  sons  saw  this,  they 
let  themselves  down  at  the  king's  castle,  having 
the  form  of  the  finest  men  that  could  be  seen  in 
the  kingdom. 

When  the  king's  daughter  had  the  ring  on  her 
finger  she  looked  at  it  and  liked  it.  Then  the 
ring  spoke,  and  said :  "  My  life  is  in  your  hands 
now ;  don't  part  from  the  ring,  and  don't  let  it  go 
to  any  man,  and  you  '11  give  me  a  long  life." 

The  Gruagach  na  g-cleasan  and  his  eleven  sons 
went  into  the  king's  castle  and  played  on  every 


154     Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

instrument  known  to  man,  and  they  showed  every 
sport  that  could  be  shown  before  a  king.  This 
they  did  for  three  days  and  three  nights.  When 
that  time  was  over,  and  they  were  going  away,  the 
king  spoke  up  and  asked: 

"  What  is  the  reward  that  you  would  like,  and 
what  would  be  pleasing  to  you  from  me?" 

"  We  want  neither  gold  nor  silver,"  said  the 
Gruagach ;  "  all  the  reward  we  ask  of  you  is  the 
ring  that  I  lost  on  a  time,  and  which  is  now  on 
your  daughter's  finger." 

"  If  my  daughter  has  the  ring  that  you  lost,  it 
shall  be  given  to  you,"  said  the  king. 

Now  the  ring  spoke  to  the  king's  daughter  and 
said :  "  Don't  part  with  me  for  anything  till  you 
send  your  trusted  man  for  three  gallons  of  strong 
spirits  and  a  gallon  of  wheat;  put  the  spirits  and 
the  wheat  together  in  an  open  barrel  before  the 
fire.  When  your  father  says  you  must  give  up 
the  ring,  do  you  answer  back  that  you  have  never 
left  the  summer-house,  that  you  have  nothing  on 
your  hand  but  what  is  your  own  and  paid  for. 
Your  father  will  say  then  that  you  must  part  with 
me,  and  give  me  up  to  the  stranger.  When  he 
forces  you  in  this  way,  and  you  can  keep  me  no 
longer,  then  throw  me  into  the  fire ;  and  you  '11  see 
great  sport  and  strange  things." 

The  king's  daughter  sent  for  the  spirits  and  the 


The  Fisherman  s  Son  and  the  Gruagach.    155 

wheat,  had  them  mixed  together,  and  put  in  an 
open  barrel  before  the  fire. 

The  king  called  the  daughter  in,  and  asked : 
"  Have  you  the  ring  which  this  stranger  lost?" 

"  I  have  a  ring,"  said  she,  "  but  it 's  my  own, 
and  I  '11  not  part  with  it.  I  '11  not  give  it  to  him 
nor  to  any  man." 

"  You  must,"  said  the  king,  "  for  my  word  is 
pledged,  and  you  must  part  with  the  ring !  " 

When  she  heard  this,  she  slipped  the  ring  from 
her  finger  and  threw  it  into  the  fire. 

That  moment  the  eleven  brothers  made  eleven 
pairs  of  tongs  of  themselves ;  their  father,  the  old 
Gruagach,  was  the  twelfth  pair. 

The  twelve  jumped  into  the  fire  to  know  in  what 
spark  of  it  would  they  find  the  old  fisherman's  son ; 
and  they  were  a  long  time  working  and  searching 
through  the  fire,  when  out  flew  a  spark,  and  into 
the  barrel. 

The  twelve  made  themselves  men,  turned  over 
the  barrel,  and  spilled  the  wheat  on  the  floor. 
Then  in  a  twinkling  they  were  twelve  cocks  strut- 
ting around. 

They  fell  to  and  picked  away  at  the  wheat  to 
know  which  one  would  find  the  fisherman's  son. 
Soon  one  dropped  on  one  side,  and  a  second  on 
the  opposite  side,  until  all  twelve  were  lying  drunk 
from  the  wheat. 


156      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Then  the  old  fisherman's  son  made  a  fox  of 
himself,  and  the  first  cock  he  came  to  was  the  old 
Gruagach  na  g-cleasan  himself.  He  took  the  head 
off  the  Gruagach  with  one  bite,  and  the  heads  off 
the  eleven  brothers  with  eleven  other  bites. 

When  the  twelve  were  dead,  the  old  fisherman's 
son  made  himself  the  finest-looking  man  in  Erin, 
and  began  to  give  music  and  sport  to  the  king; 
and  he  entertained  him  five  times  better  than  had 
the  Gruagach  and  his  eleven  sons. 

Then  the  king's  daughter  fell  in  love  with  him, 
and  she  set  her  mind  on  him  to  that  degree  that 
there  was  no  life  for  her  without  him. 

When  the  king  saw  the  straits  that  his  daughter 
was  in,  he  ordered  the  marriage  without  delay. 

The  wedding  lasted  for  nine  days  and  nine 
nights,  and  the  ninth  night  was  the  best  of  all. 

When  the  wedding  was  over,  the  king  felt  he 
was  losing  his  strength,  so  he  took  the  crown  off 
his  own  head,  and  put  it  on  the  head  of  the  old 
fisherman's  son,  and  made  him  king  of  Erin  in 
place  of  himself. 

The  young  couple  were  the  luck,  and  we  the 
stepping-stones.  The  presents  we  got  at  the  mar- 
riage were  stockings  of  buttermilk  and  shoes  of 
paper,  and  these  were  worn  to  the  soles  of  our 
feet  when  we  got  home  from  the  wedding. 


THE  THIRTEENTH  SON  OF  THE  KING 
OF  ERIN. 

'T^HERE  was  a  king  in  Erin  long  ago  who  had 
*•       thirteen  sons,  and  as  they  grew  up  he  taught 
them  good  learning   and   every  exercise  and  art 
befitting  their  rank. 

One  day  the  king  went  hunting,  and  saw  a  swan 
swimming  in  a  lake  with  thirteen  little  ones.  She 
kept  driving  away  the  thirteenth,  and  would  not  let 
it  come  near  the  others. 

The  king  wondered  greatly  at  this,  and  when  he 
came  home  he  summoned  his  Sean  dall  Glic  (old 
blind  sage),  and  said:  "I  saw  a  great  wonder 
to-day  while  out  hunting,  —  a  swan  with  thirteen 
cygnets,  and  she  driving  away  the  thirteenth  con- 
tinually, and  keeping  the  twelve  with  her.  Tell 
me  the  cause  and  reason  of  this.  Why  should  a 
mother  hate  her  thirteenth  little  one,  and  guard 
the  other  twelve?" 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  old  blind  sage :  "  all 
creatures  on  earth,  whether  beast  or  human,  which 
have  thirteen  young,  should  put  the  thirteenth 
away,  and  let  it  wander  for  itself  through  the 


158      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

world  and  find  its  fate,  so  that  the  will  of  Heaven 
may  work  upon  it,  and  not  come  down  on  the 
others.  Now  you  have  thirteen  sons,  and  you 
must  give  the  thirteenth  to  the  Diachbha."  1 

"  Then  that  is  the  meaning  of  the  swan  on  the 
lake,  —  I  must  give  up  my  thirteenth  son  to  the 
Diachbha?  " 

"  It  is,"  said  the  old  blind  sage ;  "  you  must  give 
up  one  of  your  thirteen  sons." 

"  But  how  can  I  give  one  of  them  away  when  I 
am  so  fond  of  all;  and  which  one  shall  it  be?  " 

"  I  '11  tell  you  what  to  do.  When  the  thirteen 
come  home  to-night,  shut  the  door  against  the 
last  that  comes." 

Now  one  of  the  sons  was  slow,  not  so  keen  nor 
so  sharp  as  another;  but  the  eldest,  who  was 
called  Sean  Ruadh,  was  the  best,  the  hero  of  them 
all.  And  it  happened  that  night  that  he  came 
home  last,  and  when  he  came  his  father  shut  the 
door  against  him.  The  boy  raised  his  hands  and 
said :  "  Father,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with 
me;  what  do  you  wish?" 

"  It  is  my  duty,"  said  the  father,  "  to  give  one 
of  my  sons  to  the  Diachbha ;  and  as  you  are  the 
thirteenth,  you  must  go." 

"Well,  give  me  my  outfit  for  the  road." 

The  outfit  was  brought,  Sean  Ruadh  put  it  on ; 
1  Diachbha,  "  divinity,"  "  fate." 


Thirteenth  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin.     1 59 

then  the  father  gave  him  a  black-haired  steed  that 
could  overtake  the  wind  before  him,  and  outstrip 
the  wind  behind. 

Sean  Ruadh  mounted  the  steed  and  hurried 
away.  He  went  on  each  day  without  rest,  and 
slept  in  the  woods  at  night. 

One  morning  he  put  on  some  old  clothes  which 
he  had  in  a  pack  on  the  saddle,  and  leaving  his 
horse  in  the  woods,  went  aside  to  an  opening. 
He  was  not  long  there  when  a  king  rode  up  and 
stopped  before  him. 

"  Who  are  you,  and  where  are  you  going? " 
asked  the  king. 

"  Oh !  "  said  Sean  Ruadh,  "  I  am  astray.  I  do 
not  know  where  to  go,  nor  what  I  am  to  do." 

"  If  that  is  how  you  are,  I'll  tell  you  what  to 
do,  —  come  with  me." 

"  Why  should  I  go  with  you  ? "  asked  Sean 
Ruadh. 

"  Well,  I  have  a  great  many  cows,  and  I  have 
no  one  to  go  with  them,  no  one  to  mind  them.  I 
am  in  great  trouble  also.  My  daughter  will  die  a 
terrible  death  very  soon." 

"  How  will  she  die?  "  asked  Sean  Ruadh. 

"  There  is  an  urfeist,1  a  great  serpent  of  the  sea, 
a  monster  which  must  get  a  king's  daughter  to 
devour  every  seven  years.  Once  in  seven  years 
1  Urfeist,  "great  serpent." 


1 60      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

this  thing  comes  up  out  of  the  sea  for  its  meat. 
The  turn  has  now  come  to  my  daughter,  and  we 
don't  know  what  day  will  the  urfeist  appear.  The 
whole  castle  and  all  of  us  are  in  mourning  for  my 
wretched  child." 

"  Perhaps  some  one  will  come  to  save  her,"  said 
Sean  Ruadh. 

"  Oh  !  there  is  a  whole  army  of  kings'  sons  who 
have  come,  and  they  all  promise  to  save  her;  but 
I  'm  in  dread  none  of  them  will  meet  the  urfeist." 

Sean  Ruadh  agreed  with  the  king  to  serve  for 
seven  years,  and  went  home  with  him. 

Next  morning  Sean  Ruadh  drove  out  the  king's 
cows  to  pasture. 

Now  there  were  three  giants  not  far  from  the 
king's  place.  They  lived  in  three  castles  in  sight 
of  each  other,  and  every  night  each  of  these  giants 
shouted  just  before  going  to  bed.  So  loud  was 
the  shout  that  each  let  out  of  himself  that  the 
people  heard  it  in  all  the  country  around. 

Sean  Ruadh  drove  the  cattle  up  to  the  giant's 
land,  pushed  down  the  wall,  and  let  them  in.  The 
grass  was  very  high,  —  three  times  better  than  any 
on  the  king's  pastures. 

As  Sean  Ruadh  sat  watching  the  cattle,  a  giant 
came  running  towards  him  and  called  out:  "I 
don't  know  whether  to  put  a  pinch  of  you  in  my 
nose,  or  a  bite  of  you  in  my  mouth !  " 


Thirteenth  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin.     \  6 1 

"  Bad  luck  to  me,"  said  Sean  Ruadh,  "  if  I 
came  here  but  to  take  the  life  out  of  you  !  " 

"  How  would  you  like  to  fight,  —  on  the  gray 
stones,  or  with  sharp  swords?  "  asked  the  giant. 

"  I  '11  fight  you,"  said  Sean  Ruadh,  "  on  the  gray 
stones,  where  your  great  legs  will  be  going  down, 
and  mine  standing  high." 

They  faced  one  another  then,  and  began  to  fight. 
At  the  first  encounter  Sean  Ruadh  put  the  giant 
down  to  his  knees  among  the  hard  gray  stones, 
at  the  second  he  put  him  to  his  waist,  and  at  the 
third  to  his  shoulders. 

"  Come,  take  me  out  of  this,"  cried  the  giant, 
"  and  I  '11  give  you  my  castle  and  all  I  Ve  got. 
I  '11  give  you  my  sword  of  light  that  never  fails  to 
kill  at  a  blow.  I  '11  give  you  my  black  horse  that 
can  overtake  the  wind  before,  and  outstrip  the 
wind  behind.  These  are  all  up  there  in  my 
castle." 

Sean  Ruadh  killed  the  giant  and  went  up  to 
the  castle,  where  the  housekeeper  said  to  him : 
"  Oh !  it  is  you  that  are  welcome.  You  have 
killed  the  dirty  giant  that  was  here.  Come  with 
me  now  till  I  show  you  all  the  riches  and 
treasures." 

She  opened  the  door  of  the  giant's  store-room 
and  said :  "  All  these  are  yours.  Here  are  the 
keys  of  the  castle." 

ii 


1 62       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Keep  them  till  I  come  again,  and  wake  me  in 
the  evening,"  said  Sean  Ruadh,  lying  down  on  the 
giant's  bed. 

He  slept  till  evening;  then  the  housekeeper 
roused  him,  and  he  drove  the  king's  cattle  home. 
The  cows  never  gave  so  much  milk  as  that  night. 
They  gave  as  much  as  in  a  whole  week  before. 

Sean  Ruadh  met  the  king,  and  asked :  "  What 
news  from  your  daughter?" 

"  The  great  serpent  did  not  come  to-day,"  said 
the  king;  "but  he  may  come  to-morrow." 

"  Well,  to-morrow  he  may  not  come  till  another 
day,"  said  Sean  Ruadh. 

Now  the  king  knew  nothing  of  the  strength  of 
Sean  Ruadh,  who  was  bare-footed,  ragged,  and 
shabby. 

The  second  morning  Sean  Ruadh  put  the  king's 
cows  in  the  second  giant's  land.  Out  came  the 
second  giant  with  the  same  questions  and  threats 
as  the  first,  and  the  cowboy  spoke  as  on  the  day 
before. 

They  fell  to  fighting;  and  when  the  giant  was 
to  his  shoulders  in  the  hard  gray  rocks,  he  said : 
"  I  '11  give  you  my  sword  of  light  and  my  brown- 
haired  horse  if  you  '11  spare  my  life." 

"  Where  is  your  sword  of  light?  "  asked  Sean 
Ruadh. 

"  It  is  hung  up  over  my  bed." 


Thirteenth  Soil  of  the  King  of  Erin.     163 

Sean  Ruadh  ran  to  the  giant's  castle,  and  took 
the  sword,  which  screamed  out  when  he  seized  it ; 
but  he  held  it  fast,  hurried  back  to  the  giant,  and 
asked,  "  How  shall  I  try  the  edge  of  this  sword?  " 

"  Against  a  stick,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I  see  no  stick  better  than  your  own  head,"  said 
Sean  Ruadh ;  and  with  that  he  swept  the  head  off 
the  giant. 

The  cowboy  now  went  back  to  the  castle  and 
hung  up  the  sword.  "  Blessing  to  you,"  said  the 
housekeeper ;  "  you  have  killed  the  giant !  Come, 
now,  and  I  '11  show  you  his  riches  and  treasures, 
which  are  yours  forever." 

Sean  Ruadh  found  more  treasure  in  this  castle 
than  in  the  first  one.  When  he  had  seen  all,  he 
gave  the  keys  to  the  housekeeper  till  he  should 
need  them.  He  slept  as  on  the  day  before,  then 
drove  the  cows  home  in  the  evening. 

The  king  said :  "I  have  the  luck  since  you  came 
to  me.  My  cows  give  three  times  as  much  milk 
to-day  as  they  did  yesterday." 

"  Well,"  said  Sean  Ruadh,  "  have  you  any  ac- 
count of  the  urfeist?" 

"  He  didn't  come  to-day,"  said  the  king;  "  but 
he  may  come  to-morrow." 

Sean  Ruadh  went  out  with  the  king's  cows  on 
the  third  day,  and  drove  them  to  the  third  giant's 
land,  who  came  out  and  fought  a  more  desperate 


1 64     Myths  and  Folk-L  ore  of  Ireland. 

battle  than  either  of  the  other  two ;  but  the  cow- 
boy pushed  him  down  among  the  gray  rocks  to 
his  shoulders  and  killed  him. 

At  the  castle  of  the  third  giant  he  was  received 
with  gladness  by  the  housekeeper,  who  showed 
him  the  treasures  and  gave  him  the  keys ;  but  he 
left  the  keys  with  her  till  he  should  need  them. 
That  evening  the  king's  cows  had  more  milk  than 
ever  before. 

On  the  fourth  day  Sean  Ruadh  went  out  with 
the  cows,  but  stopped  at  the  first  giant's  castle. 
The  housekeeper  at  his  command  brought  out  the 
dress  of  the  giant,  which  was  all  black.  He  put 
on  the  giant's  apparel,  black  as  night,  and  girded 
on  his  sword  of  light.  Then  he  mounted  the  black- 
haired  steed,  which  overtook  the  wind  before,  and 
outstripped  the  wind  behind ;  and  rushing  on  be- 
tween earth  and  sky,  he  never  stopped  till  he  came 
to  the  beach,  where  he  saw  hundreds  upon  hun- 
dreds of  kings'  sons,  and  champions,  who  were 
anxious  to  save  the  king's  daughter,  but  were  so 
frightened  at  the  terrible  urfeist  that  they  would 
not  go  near  her. 

When  he  had  seen  the  princess  and  the  tremb- 
ling champions,  Sean  Ruadh  turned  his  black 
steed  to  the  castle.  Presently  the  king  saw,  riding 
between  earth  and  sky,  a  splendid  stranger,  who 
stopped  before  him. 


Thirteenth  Son  of  tJte  King  of  Erin.     165 

"  What  is  that  I  see  on  the  shore  ?  "  asked  the 
stranger.  "  Is  it  a  fair,  or  some  great  meeting?" 

"  Have  n't  you  heard,"  asked  the  king,  "  that 
a  monster  is  coming  to  destroy  my  daughter 
to-day?  " 

"  No,  I  have  n't  heard  anything,"  answered  the 
stranger,  who  turned  away  and  disappeared. 

Soon  the  black  horseman  was  before  the  prin- 
cess, who  was  sitting  alone  on  a  rock  near  the  sea. 
As  she  looked  at  the  stranger,  she  thought  he 
was  the  finest  man  on  earth,  and  her  heart  was 
cheered. 

"  Have  you  no  one  to  save  you?  "  he  asked. 

"  No  one." 

"  Will  you  let  me  lay  my  head  on  your  lap  till 
the  urfeist  comes?  Then  rouse  me." 

He  put  his  head  on  her  lap  and  fell  asleep. 
While  he  slept,  the  princess  took  three  hairs  from 
his  head  and  hid  them  in  her  bosom.  As  soon 
as  she  had  hidden  the  hairs,  she  saw  the  urfeist 
coming  on  the  sea,  great  as  an  island,  and  throwing 
up  water  to  the  sky  as  he  moved.  She  roused  the 
stranger,  who  sprang  up  to  defend  her. 

The  urfeist  came  upon  shore,  and  was  advan- 
cing on  the  princess  with  mouth  open  and  wide 
as  a  bridge,  when  the  stranger  stood  before  him 
and  said :  "  This  woman  is  mine,  not  yours  !  " 

Then  drawing  his  sword  of  light,  he  swept  off 


1 66     Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

the  monster's  head  with  a  blow;  but  the  head 
rushed  back  to  its  place,  and  grew  on  again. 

In  a  twinkle  the  urfeist  turned  and  went  back 
to  the  sea;  but  as  he  went,  he  said:  "I'll  be 
here  again  to-morrow,  and  swallow  the  whole  world 
before  me  as  I  come." 

"  Well,"  answered  the  stranger,  "  maybe  another 
will  come  to  meet  you." 

Sean  Ruadh  mounted  his  black  steed,  and  was 
gone  before  the  princess  could  stop  him.  Sad 
was  her  heart  when  she  saw  him  rush  off  between 
the  earth  and  sky  more  swiftly  than  any  wind. 

Sean  Ruadh  went  to  the  first  giant's  castle  and 
put  away  his  horse,  clothes,  and  sword.  Then  he 
slept  on  the  giant's  bed  till  evening,  when  the 
housekeeper  woke  him,  and  he  drove  home  the 
cows.  Meeting  the  king,  he  asked:  "  Well,  how 
has  your  daughter  fared  to-day?  " 

"  Oh !  the  urfeist  came  out  of  the  sea  to  carry 
her  away;  but  a  wonderful  black  champion  came 
riding  between  earth  and  sky  and  saved  her." 

"Who  was  he?" 

"  Oh !  there  is  many  a  man  who  says  he  did  it. 
But  my  daughter  is  n't  saved  yet,  for  the  urfeist 
said  he'd  come  to-morrow." 

"Well,  never  fear;  perhaps  another  champion 
will  come  to-morrow." 

Next   morning   Sean   Ruadh    drove   the    king's 


Thirteenth  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin.     167 

cows  to  the  land  of  the  second  giant,  where  he 
left  them  feeding,  and  then  went  to  the  castle, 
where  the  housekeeper  met  him  and  said :  "  You 
are  welcome.  I  'm  here  before  you,  and  all  is 
well." 

"  Let  the  brown  horse  be  brought;  let  the  giant's 
apparel  and  sword  be  ready  for  me,"  said  Sean 
Ruadh. 

The  apparel  was  brought,  the  beautiful  blue 
dress  of  the  second  giant,  and  his  swctJ  of  light. 
Sean  Ruadh  put  on  the  apparel,  took  the  sword, 
mounted  the  brown  steed,  and  sped  away  between 
earth  and  air  three  times  more  swiftly  than  the 
day  before. 

He  rode  first  to  the  seashore,  saw  the  king's 
daughter  sitting  on  the  rock  alone,  and  the  princes 
and  champions  far  away,  trembling  in  dread  of  the 
urfeist.  Then  he  rode  to  the  king,  enquired  about 
the  crowd  on  the  seashore,  and  received  the  same 
answer  as  before.  "  But  is  there  no  man  to  save 
her?"  asked  Sean  Ruadh. 

"  Oh !  there  are  men  enough,"  said  the  king, 
"  who  promise  to  save  her,  and  say  they  are  brave ; 
but  there  is  no  man  of  them  who  will  stand  to  his 
word  and  face  the  urfeist  when  he  rises  from 
the  sea." 

Sean  Ruadh  was  away  before  the  king  knew  it, 
and  rode  to  the  princess  in  his  suit  of  blue,  bearing 


1 68     Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

his  sword  of  light.  "  Is  there  no  one  to  save 
you  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  No  one." 

"  Let  me  lay  my  head  on  your  lap,  and  when 
the  urfeist  comes,  rouse  me." 

He  put  his  head  on  her  lap,  and  while  he  slept 
she  took  out  the  three  hairs,  compared  them  with 
his  hair,  and  said  to  herself:  "  You  are  the  man 
who  was  here  yesterday." 

When  the  urfeist  appeared,  coming  over  the  sea, 
the  princess  roused  the  stranger,  who  sprang  up 
and  hurried  to  the  beach. 

The  monster,  moving  at  a  greater  speed,  and 
raising  more  water  than  on  the  day  before,  came 
with  open  mouth  to  land.  Again  Sean  Ruadh  stood 
in  his  way,  and  with  one  blow  of  the  giant's  sword 
made  two  halves  of  the  urfeist.  But  the  two 
halves  rushed  together,  and  were  one  as  before. 

Then  the  urfeist  turned  to  the  sea  again,  and 
said  as  he  went :  "  All  the  champions  on  earth 
won't  save  her  from  me  to-morrow !  " 

Sean  Ruadh  sprang  to  his  steed  and  back  to  the 
castle.  He  went,  leaving  the  princess  in  despair  at 
his  going.  She  tore  her  hair  and  wept  for  the  loss 
of  the  blue  champion,  —  the  one  man  who  had 
dared  to  save  her. 

Sean  Ruadh  put  on  his  old  clothes,  and  drove 
home  the  cows  as  usual.  The  king  said :  "  A 


Thirteenth  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin.     169 

strange  champion,  all  dressed  in  blue,  saved  my 
daughter  to-day;  but  she  is  grieving  her  life  away 
because  he  is  gone." 

"Well,  that  is  a  small  matter,  since  her  life  is 
safe,"  said  Sean  Ruadh. 

There  was  a  feast  for  the  whole  world  that  night 
at  the  king's  castle,  and  gladness  was  on  every  face 
that  the  king's  daughter  was  safe  again. 

Next  day  Sean  Ruadh  drove  the  cows  to  the 
third  giant's  pasture,  went  to  the  castle,  and  told 
the  housekeeper  to  bring  the  giant's  sword  and 
apparel,  and  have  the  red  steed  led  to  the  door. 
The  third  giant's  dress  had  as  many  colors  as  there 
are  in  the  sky,  and  his  boots  were  of  blue  glass. 

Sean  Ruadh,  dressed  and  mounted  on  his  red 
steed,  was  the  most  beautiful  man  in  the  world. 
When  ready  to  start,  the  housekeeper  said  to  him : 
"  The  beast  will  be  so  enraged  this  time  that  no 
arms  can  stop  him;  he  will  rise  from  the  sea 
with  three  great  swords  coming  out  of  his  mouth, 
and  he  could  cut  to  pieces  and  swallow  the  whole 
world  if  it  stood  before  him  in  battle.  There  is 
only  one  way  to  conquer  the  urfeist,  and  I  will 
show  it  to  you.  Take  this  brown  apple,  put  it  in 
your  bosom,  and  when  he  comes  rushing  from  the 
sea  with  open  mouth,  do  you  throw  the  apple 
down  his  throat,  and  the  great  urfeist  will  melt 
away  and  die  on  the  strand." 


1 70     Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

Sean  Ruadh  went  on  the  red  steed  between 
earth  and  sky,  with  thrice  the  speed  of  the  day 
before.  He  saw  the  maiden  sitting  on  the  rock 
alone,  saw  the  trembling  kings'  sons  in  the  dis- 
tance watching  to  know  what  would  happen,  and 
saw  the  king  hoping  for  some  one  to  save  his 
daughter;  then  he  went  to  the  princess,  and  put 
his  head  on  her  lap ;  when  he  had  fallen  asleep, 
she  took  the  three  hairs  from  her  bosom,  and  look- 
ing at  them,  said :  "  You  are  the  man  who  saved 
me  yesterday." 

The  urfeist  was  not  long  in  coming.  The  prin- 
cess roused  Sean  Ruadh,  who  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  went  to  the  sea.  The  urfeist  came  up  enor- 
mous, terrible  to  look  at,  with  a  mouth  big  enough 
to  swallow  the  world,  and  three  sharp  swords  com- 
ing out  of  it.  When  he  saw  Sean  Ruadh,  he 
sprang  at  him  with  a  roar ;  but  Sean  Ruadh  threw 
the  apple  into  his  mouth,  and  the  beast  fell  help- 
less on  the  strand,  flattened  out  and  melted  away 
to  a  dirty  jelly  on  the  shore. 

Then  Sean  Ruadh  went  towards  the  princess  and 
said :  "  That  urfeist  will  never  trouble  man  or 
woman  again." 

The  princess  ran  and  tried  to  cling  to  him ;  but 
he  was  on  the  red  steed,  rushing  away  between 
earth  and  sky,  before  she  could  stop  him.  She 
held,  however,  so  firmly  to  one  of  the  blue  glass 


Thirteenth  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin.     1 7 1 

boots  that  Sean  Ruadh  had  to  leave  it  in  her 
hands. 

When  he  drove  home  the  cows  that  night,  the 
king  came  out,  and  Sean  Ruadh  asked :  "  What 
news  from  the  urfeist?" 

"  Oh  !  "  said  the  king,  "  I  've  had  the  luck  since 
you  came  to  me.  A  champion  wearing  all  the 
colors  of  the  sky,  and  riding  a  red  steed  between 
earth  and  air,  destroyed  the  urfeist  to-day.  My 
daughter  is  safe  forever ;  but  she  is  ready  to  kill  her- 
self because  she  has  n't  the  man  that  saved  her." 

That  night  there  was  a  feast  in  the  king's 
castle  such  as  no  one  had  ever  seen  before.  The 
halls  were  filled  with  princes  and  champions,  and 
each  one  said :  "  I  am  the  man  that  saved  the 
princess !  " 

The  king  sent  for  the  old  blind  sage,  and  asked, 
what  should  he  do  to  find  the  man  who  saved  his 
daughter.  The  old  blind  sage  said,  — 

"  Send  out  word  to  all  the  world  that  the  man 
whose  foot  the  blue  glass  boot  will  fit  is  the  cham- 
pion who  killed  the  urfeist,  and  you  '11  give  him 
your  daughter  in  marriage." 

The  king  sent  out  word  to  the  world  to  come 
to  try  on  the  boot.  It  was  too  large  for  some,  too 
small  for  others.  When  all  had  failed,  the  old 
sage  said, — 

"  All  have  tried  the  boot  but  the  cowboy." 


172      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Oh !  he  is  always  out  with  the  cows ;  what  use 
in  his  trying,"  said  the  king. 

"  No  matter,"  answered  the  old  blind  sage ;  "  let 
twenty  men  go  and  bring  down  the  cowboy." 

The  king  sent  up  twenty  men,  who  found  the 
cowboy  sleeping  in  the  shadow  of  a  stone  wall. 
They  began  to  make  a  hay  rope  to  bind  him ;  but 
he  woke  up,  and  had  twenty  ropes  ready  before 
they  had  one.  Then  he  jumped  at  them,  tied  the 
twenty  in  a  bundle,  and  fastened  the  bundle  to 
the  wall. 

They  waited  and  waited  at  the  castle  for  the 
twenty  men  and  the  cowboy,  till  at  last  the  king 
sent  twenty  men  more,  with  swords,  to  know  what 
was  the  delay. 

When  they  came,  this  twenty  began  to  make  a 
hay  rope  to  tie  the  cowboy;  but  he  had  twenty 
ropes  made  before  their  one,  and  no  matter  how 
they  fought,  the  cowboy  tied  the  twenty  in  a 
bundle,  and  the  bundle  to  the  other  twenty  men. 

When  neither  party  came  back,  the  old  blind 
sage  said  to  the  king :  "  Go  up  now,  and  throw 
yourself  down  before  the  cowboy,  for  he  has  tied 
the  forty  men  in  two  bundles,  and  the  bundles  to 
each  other." 

The  king  went  and  threw  himself  down  before 
the  cowboy,  who  raised  him  up  and  said :  "  What 
is  this  for?  " 


Thirteenth  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin.     173 

"  Come  down  now  and  try  on  the  glass  boot," 
said  the  king. 

"  How  can  I  go,  when  I  have  work  to  do  here  ?  " 

"  Oh !  never  mind ;  you  '11  come  back  soon 
enough  to  do  the  work." 

The  cowboy  untied  the  forty  men  and  went 
down  with  the  king.  When  he  stood  in  front  of 
the  castle,  he  saw  the  princess  sitting  in  her  upper 
chamber,  and  the  glass  boot  on  the  window-sill 
before  her. 

That  moment  the  boot  sprang  from  the  window 
through  the  air  to  him,  and  went  on  his  foot  of 
itself.  The  princess  was  downstairs  in  a  twinkle, 
and  in  the  arms  of  Sean  Ruadh. 

The  whole  place  was  crowded  with  kings'  sons 
and  champions,  who  claimed  that  they  had  saved 
the  princess. 

"What  are  these  men  here  for?"  asked  Sean 
Ruadh. 

"  Oh  !  they  have  been  trying  to  put  on  the  boot," 
said  the  king. 

With  that  Sean  Ruadh  drew  his  sword  of  light, 
swept  the  heads  off  every  man  of  them,  and  threw 
heads  and  bodies  on  the  dirt-heap  behind  the 
castle. 

Then  the  king  sent  ships  with  messengers  to  all 
the  kings  and  queens  of  the  world,  — to  the  kings  of 
Spain,  France,  Greece,  and  Lochlin,  and  to  Diar- 


1 74     Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

muid,  son  of  the  monarch  of  light,  —  to  come  to 
the  wedding  of  his  daughter  and  Sean  Ruadh. 

Sean  Ruadh,  after  the  wedding,  went  with  his 
wife  to  live  in  the  kingdom  of  the  giants,  and  left 
his  father-in-law  on  his  own  land. 


KIL  ARTHUR. 

THERE  was  a  time  long  ago,  and  if  we  had 
lived  then,  we  should  n't  be  living  now. 

In  that  time  there  was  a  law  in  the  world  that 
if  a  young  man  came  to  woo  a  young  woman,  and 
her  people  would  n't  give  her  to  him,  the  young 
woman  should  get  her  death  by  the  law. 

There  was  a  king  in  Erin  at  that  time  who  had 
a  daughter,  and  he  had  a  son  too,  who  was  called 
Kil  Arthur,  son  of  the  monarch  of  Erin. 

Now,  not  far  from  the  castle  of  the  king  there 
was  a  tinker ;  and  one  morning  he  said  to  his 
mother :  "  Put  down  my  breakfast  for  me,  mother." 

"  Where  are  you  going?  "  asked  the  mother. 

"  I  'm  going  for  a  wife." 

"Where?" 

"  I  am  going  for  the  daughter  of  the  king  of 
Erin." 

"  Oh !  my  son,  bad  luck  is  upon  you.  It  is 
death  to  ask  for  the  king's  daughter,  and  you  a 
tinker." 

"  I  don't  care  for  that,"  said  he. 

So  the  tinker  went  to  the  king's  castle.     They 


1 76      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

were  at  dinner  when  he  came,  and  the  king  trembled 
as  he  saw  him. 

Though  they  were  at  table,  the  tinker  went 
into  the  room. 

The  king  asked :  "  What  did  you  come  for  at 
this  time?" 

"  I  came  to  marry  your  daughter." 

"  That  life  and  strength  may  leave  me  if  ever 
you  get  my  daughter  in  marriage !  I  'd  give  her 
to  death  before  I  would  to  a  tinker." 

Now  Kil  Arthur,  the  king's  son,  came  in,  caught 
the  tinker  and  hanged  him,  facing  the  front  of  the 
castle.  When  he  was  dead,  they  made  seven  parts 
of  his  body,  and  flung  them  into  the  sea. 

Then  the  king  had  a  box  made  so  close  and  tight 
that  no  water  could  enter,  and  inside  the  box  they 
fixed  a  coffin ;  and  when  they  had  put  a  bed  with 
meat  and  drink  into  the  coffin,  they  brought  the 
king's  daughter,  laid  her  on  the  bed,  closed  the  box, 
and  pushed  it  into  the  open  sea.  The  box  went 
out  with  the  tide  and  moved  on  the  water  for  a 
long  time ;  where  it  was  one  day  it  was  not  the 
next,  —  carried  along  by  the  waves  day  and  night, 
till  at  last  it  came  to  another  land. 

Now,  in  the  other  land  was  a  man  who  had 
spent  his  time  in  going  to  sea,  till  at  length  he  got 
very  poor,  and  said  :  "  I  '11  stay  at  home  now,  since 
God  has  let  me  live  this  long.  I  heard  my  father 


Kil  Arthur.  177 


say  once  that  if  a  man  would  always  rise  early 
and  walk  along  the  strand,  he  would  get  his 
fortune  from  the  tide  at  last." 

One  morning  early,  as  this  man  was  going  along 
the  strand,  he  saw  the  box,  and  brought  it  up  to 
the  shore,  where  he  opened  it  and  took  out  the 
coffin.  When  the  lid  was  off  the  coffin,  he  found 
a  woman  inside  alive. 

"  Oh !  "  said  he,  "  I  'd  rather  have  you  there  than 
the  full  of  the  box  of  gold." 

"  I  think  the  gold  would  be  better  for  you," 
said  the  woman. 

He  took  the  stranger  to  his  house,  and  gave  her 
food  and  drink.  Then  he  made  a  great  cross  on 
the  ground,  and  clasping  hands  with  the  woman, 
jumped  over  the  arms  of  the  cross,  going  in  the 
same  direction  as  the  sun.  This  was  the  form  of 
marriage  in  that  land. 

They  lived  together  pleasantly.  She  was  a 
fine  woman,  worked  well  for  her  husband,  and 
brought  him  great  wealth,  so  that  he  became 
richer  than  any  man ;  and  one  day,  when  out  walk- 
ing alone,  he  said  to  himself:  "  I  am  able  to  give 
a  grand  dinner  now  to  Ri  Fohin,  Sladaire  Mor 
[king  under  the  wave,  the  great  robber],  who 
owns  men,  women,  and  every  kind  of  beast." 

Then  he  went  home  and  invited  Ri  Fohin  to 
dinner.  He  came  with  all  the  men,  women,  and 

12 


1 78      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

beasts  he  had,  and  they  covered  the  country  for 
six  miles. 

The  beasts  were  fed  outside  by  themselves,  but 
the  people  in  the  house.  When  dinner  was  over, 
he  asked  Ri  Fohin :  "  Have  you  ever  seen  a  house 
so  fine  and  rich,  or  a  dinner  so  good,  as  mine 
to-night?" 

"  I  have  not,"  said  Ri  Fohin. 

Then  the  man  went  to  each  person  present. 
Each  gave  the  same  answer,  and  said,  "  I  have 
never  seen  such  a  house  nor  such  a  dinner." 

He  asked  his  wife,  and  she  said :  "  My  praise 
is  no  praise  here;  but  what  is  this  to  the  house 
and  the  feasting  of  my  father,  the  king  of 
Erin?" 

"  Why  did  you  say  that?  "  asked  the  man,  and 
he  went  a  second  and  a  third  time  to  the  guests 
and  to  his  wife.  All  had  the  same  answers  for 
him.  Then  he  gave  his  wife  a  flip  of  the  thumb 
on  her  ear,  in  a  friendly  way,  and  said :  "  Why 
don't  you  give  good  luck  to  my  house;  why  do 
you  give  it  a  bad  name  ?  " 

Then  all  the  guests  said :  "  It  is  a  shame  to 
strike  your  wife  on  the  night  of  a  feast." 

Now  the  man  was  angry  and  went  out  of  his 
house.  It  was  growing  dark,  but  he  saw  a  cham- 
pion coming  on  a  black  steed  between  earth  and 
air;  and  the  champion,  who  was  no  other  than  Kil 


Kil  Arthur.  1 79 

Arthur,  his  brother-in-law,  took  him  up  and  bore 
him  away  to  the  castle  of  the  king  of  Erin. 

When  Kil  Arthur  arrived  they  were  just  sitting 
down  to  dinner  in  the  castle,  and  the  man  dined 
with  his  father-in-law.  After  dinner  the  king  of 
Erin  had  cards  brought  and  asked  his  son-in-law : 
"  Do  you  ever  play  with  these?" 

"  No,  I  have  never  played  with  the  like  of 
them." 

"  Well,  shuffle  them  now,"  said  the  king.  He 
shuffled ;  and  as  they  were  enchanted  cards  and 
whoever  held  them  could  never  lose  a  game  he 
was  the  best  player  in  the  world,  though  he  had 
never  played  a  game  before  in  his  life. 

The  king  said,  "  Put  them  in  your  pocket,  they 
may  do  you  good."  Then  the  king  gave  him  a 
fiddle,  and  asked : 

"  Have  you  ever  played  on  the  like  of  this?  " 

"  Indeed  I  have  not,"  said  the  man. 

"  Well,  play  on  it  now,"  said  the  king. 

He  played,  and  never  in  his  life  had  he  heard 
such  music. 

"  Keep  it,"  said  the  king;  "  as  long  as  you  don't 
let  it  from  you,  you  're  the  first  musician  on  earth. 
Now  I  '11  give  you  something  else.  Here  is  a  cup 
which  will  always  give  you  every  kind  of  drink 
you  can  wish  for ;  and  if  all  the  men  in  the  world 
were  to  drink  out  of  it  they  could  never  empty  it. 


1 80     Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

Keep  these  three  things ;  but  never  raise  hand  on 
your  wife  again." 

The  king  of  Erin  gave  him  his  blessing;  then 
Kil  Arthur  took  him  up  on  the  steed,  and  going 
between  earth  and  sky  he  was  soon  back  at  his 
own  home. 

Now  Ri  Fohin  had  carried  off  the  man's  wife 
and  all  that  he  had  while  he  was  at  dinner  with 
the  King  of  Erin.  Going  out  on  the  road  the 
king's  son-in-law  began  to  cry:  "Oh,  what  shaU 
I  do ;  what  shall  I  do !  "  and  as  he  cried,  who 
should  come  but  Kil  Arthur  on  his  steed,  who 
said,  "  Be  quiet,  I  '11  go  for  your  wife  and  goods." 

Kil  Arthur  went,  and  killed  Ri  Fohin  and  all  his 
people  and  beasts,  —  did  n't  leave  one  alive.  Then 
he  brought  back  his  sister  to  her  husband,  and 
stayed  with  them  for  three  years. 

One  day  he  said  to  his  sister :  "  I  am  going  to 
leave  you.  I  don't  know  what  strength  I  have ;  I  '11 
walk  the  world  now  till  I  know  is  there  a  man  in 
it  as  good  as  myself." 

Next  morning  he  bade  good-bye  to  his  sister, 
and  rode  away  on  his  black-haired  steed,  which 
overtook  the  wind  before  and  outstripped  the 
wind  behind.  He  travelled  swiftly  till  evening, 
spent  the  night  in  a  forest,  and  the  second  day 
hurried  on  as  he  had  the  first. 

The  second  night  he  spent  in  a  forest ;   and  next 


Kit  Arthur.  181 

morning  as  he  rose  from  the  ground  he  saw  before 
him  a  man  covered  with  blood  from  righting,  and 
the  clothes  nearly  torn  from  his  body. 

"What  have  you  been  doing?"  asked  Kil 
Arthur. 

"  I  have  been  playing  cards  all  night.  And 
where  are  you  going?"  inquired  the  stranger  of 
Kil  Arthur. 

"  I  am  going  around  the  world  to  know  can  I 
find  a  man  as  good  as  myself." 

"  Come  with  me,"  said  the  stranger,  "  and  I  '11 
show  you  a  man  who  could  n't  find  his  match  till 
he  went  to  fight  the  main  ocean." 

Kil  Arthur  went  with  the  ragged  stranger  till 
they  came  to  a  place  from  which  they  saw  a  giant 
out  on  the  ocean  beating  the  waves  with  a  club. 

Kil  Arthur  went  up  to  the  giant's  castle,  and 
struck  the  pole  of  combat  such  a  blow  that  the 
giant  in  the  ocean  heard  it  above  the  noise  of  his 
club  as  he  pounded  the  waves. 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  the  giant  in  the 
ocean,  as  he  stopped  from  the  pounding. 

"  I  want  you  to  come  in  here  to  land,"  said  Kil 
Arthur, "  and  fight  with  a  better  man  than  yourself." 
The  giant  came  to  land,  and  standing  near  his 
castle  said  to  Kil  Arthur :  "  Which  would  you 
rather  fight  with,  —  gray  stones  or  sharp  weap- 
ons?" 


1 82      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Gray  stones,"  said  Kil  Arthur. 

They  went  at  each  other,  and  fought  the  most 
terrible  battle  that  either  of  them  had  ever  seen 
till  that  day.  At  last  Kil  Arthur  pushed  the  giant 
to  his  shoulders  through  solid  earth. 

"  Take  me  out  of  this,"  cried  the  giant,  "  and  I  '11 
give  you  my  sword  of  light  that  never  missed  a 
blow,  my  Druidic  rod  of  most  powerful  enchant- 
ment, and  my  healing  draught  which  cures  every 
sickness  and  wound." 

"  Well,"  said  Kil  Arthur,  "  I  '11  go  for  your  sword 
and  try  it." 

He  went  to  the  giant's  castle  for  the  sword,  the 
rod,  and  the  healing  draught.  When  he  returned  the 
giant  said  :  "  Try  the  sword  on  that  tree  out  there." 

"  Oh,"  said  Kil  Arthur,  "  there  is  no  tree  so  good 
as  your  own  neck,"  and  with  that  he  swept  off  the 
head  of  the  giant;  took  it,  and  went  on  his  way 
till  he  came  to  a  house.  He  went  in  and  put  the 
head  on  a  table ;  but  that  instant  it  disappeared,  — 
went  away  of  itself.  Food  and  drink  of  every 
kind  came  on  the  table.  When  Kil  Arthur  had 
eaten  and  the  table  was  cleared  by  some  invisible 
power,  the  giant's  head  bounded  on  to  the  table, 
and  with  it  a  pack  of  cards. 

"  Perhaps  this  head  wants  to  play  with  me," 
thought  Kil  Arthur,  and  he  cut  his  own  cards  and 
shuffled  them. 


Kil  Arthur.  183 


The  head  took  up  the  cards  and  played  with  its 
mouth  as  well  as  any  man  could  with  his  hands. 
It  won  all  the  time,  —  was  n't  playing  fairly.  Then 
Kil  Arthur  thought:  "I'll  settle  this;"  and  he 
took  the  cards  and  showed  how  the  head  had 
taken  five  points  in  the  game  that  did  n't  belong 
to  it.  Then  the  head  sprang  at  him,  struck  and 
beat  him  till  he  seized  and  hurled  it  into  the  fire. 

As  soon  as  he  had  the  head  in  the  fire  a  beau- 
tiful woman  stood  before  him,  and  said :  "  You 
have  killed  nine  of  my  brothers,  and  this  was  the 
best  of  the  nine.  I  have  eight  more  brothers  who 
go  out  to  fight  with  four  hundred  men  each  day, 
and  they  kill  them  all ;  but  next  morning  the  four 
hundred  are  alive  again  and  my  brothers  have  to 
do  battle  anew.  Now  my  mother  and  these  eight 
brothers  will  be  here  soon ;  and  they  '11  go  down  on 
their  bended  knees  and  curse  you  who  killed  my 
nine  brothers,  and  I  'm  afraid  your  blood  will  rise 
within  you  when  you  hear  the  curses,  and  you  '11 
kill  my  eight  remaining  brothers." 

"  Oh,"  said  Kil  Arthur,  "  I  '11  be  deaf  when  the 
curses  are  spoken ;  I  '11  not  hear  them."  Then  he 
went  to  a  couch  and  lay  down.  Presently  the 
mother  and  eight  brothers  came,  and  cursed  Kil 
Arthur  with  all  the  curses  they  knew.  He  heard 
them  to  the  end,  but  gave  no  word  from  himself. 

Next  morning  he  rose  early,  girded  on  his  nine- 


1 84      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

edged  sword,  went  forth  to  where  the  eight  brothers 
were  going  to  fight  the  four  hundred,  and  said  to 
the  eight:  "Sit  down,  and  I'll  fight  in  your 
place." 

Kil  Arthur  faced  the  four  hundred,  and  fought 
with  them  alone ;  and  exactly  at  mid-day  he  had 
them  all  dead.  "  Now  some  one,"  said  he,  "  brings 
these  to  life  again.  I  '11  lie  down  among  them  and 
see  who  it  is 

Soon  he  saw  an  old  hag  coming  with  a  brush  in 
her  hand,  and  an  open  vessel  hanging  from  her 
neck  by  a  string.  When  she  came  to  the  four 
hundred  she  dipped  the  brush  into  the  vessel  and 
sprinkled  the  liquid  which  was  in  it  over  the 
bodies  of  the  men.  They  rose  up  behind  her  as 
she  passed  along. 

"  Bad  luck  to  you,"  said  Kil  Arthur,  "  you  are 
the  one  that  keeps  them  alive ;  "  then  he  seized 
her.  Putting  one  of  his  feet  on  her  two  ankles,  and 
grasping  her  by  the  head  and  shoulders,  he  twisted 
her  body  till  he  put  the  life  out  of  her. 

When  dying  she  said :  "  I  put  you  under  a 
curse,  to  keep  on  this  road  till  you  come  to  the 
'  ram  of  the  five  rocks,'  and  tell  him  you  have 
killed  the  hag  of  the  heights  and  all  her  care." 

He  went  to  the  place  where  the  ram  of  the  five 
rocks  lived  and  struck  the  pole  of  combat  before 
his  castle.  Out  came  the  ram,  and  they  fought 


Kit  Arthur.  185 


till  Kil  Arthur  seized  his  enemy  and  dashed  the 
brains  out  of  him  against  the  rocks. 

Then  he  went  to  the  castle  of  the  beautiful 
woman  whose  nine  brothers  he  had  killed,  and  for 
whose  eight  brothers  he  had  slain  the  four  hun- 
dred. When  he  appeared  the  mother  rejoiced; 
the  eight  brothers  blessed  him  and  gave  him  their 
sister  in  marriage ;  and  Kil  Arthur  took  the  beau- 
tiful woman  to  his  father's  castle  in  Erin,  where 
they  both  lived  happily  and  well. 


SHAKING-HEAD. 

THERE  was  once  a  king  of  a  province  in  Erin 
who  had  an  only  son.     The  king  was  very 
careful  of  this  son,  and  sent  him  to  school  for 
good  instruction. 

The  other  three  kings  of  provinces  in  Erin  had 
three  sons  at  the  same  school ;  and  the  three  sent 
word  by  this  one  to  his  father,  that  if  he  did  n't 
put  his  son  to  death  they  would  put  both  father 
and  son  to  death  themselves. 

When  the  young  man  came  home  with  this 
word  to  his  father  and  mother,  they  were  grieved 
when  they  heard  it.  But  the  king's  son  said  that 
he  would  go  out  into  the  world  to  seek  his  fortune, 
and  settle  the  trouble  in  that  way.  So  away  he 
went,  taking  with  him  only  five  pounds  in  money 
for  his  support. 

The  young  man  travelled  on  till  he  came  to  a 
grave-yard,  where  he  saw  four  men  fighting  over  a 
coffin.  Then  he  went  up  to  the  four,  and  saw  that 
two  of  them  were  trying  to  put  the  coffin  down 
into  a  grave,  and  the  other  two  preventing  them 
and  keeping  the  coffin  above  ground.  When  the 


Shaking-Head.  187 


king's  son  came  near  the  men,  he  asked :  "  Why 
do  you  fight  in  such  a  place  as  this,  and  why  do 
you  keep  the  coffin  above  ground?" 

Two  of  the  men  answered,  and  said :  "  The 
body  of  our  brother  is  in  this  coffin,  and  these  two 
men  won't  let  us  bury  it." 

The  other  two  then  said :  "  We  have  a  debt  of 
five  pounds  on  the  dead  man,  and  we  won't  let  his 
body  be  buried  till  the  debt  is  paid." 

The  king's  son  said :  "  Do  you  let  these  men 
bury  their  brother,  and  I  will  pay  what  you  ask." 

Then  the  two  let  the  brothers  of  the  dead  man 
bury  him.  The  king's  son  paid  the  five  pounds, 
and  went  away  empty-handed,  and,  except  the 
clothes  on  his  back,  he  had  no  more  than  on 
the  day  he  was  born.  After  he  had  gone  on 
his  way  awhile  and  the  grave-yard  was  out  of 
sight  he  turned  and  saw  a  sprightly  red-haired 
man  (fear  ruadk}  hurrying  after  him.  When  he 
came  up,  the  stranger  asked :  "  Don't  you  want  a 
serving  man?  " 

"  I  do  not,"  answered  the  king's  son,  "  I  have 
nothing  to  support  myself  with,  let  alone  a  serving 
man." 

"  Well,  never  mind  that,"  said  the  red-haired 
man ;  "  I'll  be  with  you  wherever  you  go,  whether 
you  have  anything  or  not." 

"  What  is  your  name?  "  asked  the  king's  son. 


1 88      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Shaking-head,"  answered  the  red  man. 

When  they  had  gone  on  a  piece  of  the  way  to- 
gether the  king's  son  stopped  and  asked :  "  Where 
shall  we  be  to-night?  " 

"  We  shall  be  in  a  giant's  castle  where  there  will 
be  small  welcome  for  us,"  said  Shaking-head. 

When  evening  came  they  found  themselves  in 
front  of  a  castle.  In  they  went  and  saw  no  one 
inside  only  a  tall  old  hag.  But  they  were  not  long 
in  the  place  till  they  heard  a  loud,  rushing  noise 
outside,  and  a  blow  on  the  castle.  The  giant  came ; 
and  the  first  words  he  let  out  of  his  mouth  were : 
"  I  'm  glad  to  have  an  Erinach  on  my  supper-table 
to  eat  to-night."  Then  turning  to  the  two  he 
said:  "What  brought  you  here  this  evening; 
what  do  you  want  in  my  castle?" 

"  All  the  champions  and  heroes  of  Erin  are  going 
to  take  your  property  from  you  and  destroy  your- 
self; we  have  come  to  warn  you,  and  there  is 
nobody  to  save  you  from  them  but  us,"  said 
Shaking-head. 

When  the  giant  heard  these  words  he  changed 
his  treatment  entirely.  He  gave  the  king's  son 
and  Shaking-head  a  hearty  welcome  and  a  kindly 
greeting.  When  he  understood  the  news  they 
brought,  he  washed  them  with  the  tears  of  his 
eyes,  dried  them  with  kisses,  and  gave  them  a 
good  supper  and  a  soft  bed  that  night. 


Shaking-Head.  189 

Next  morning  the  giant  was  up  at  an  early  hour, 
and  he  went  to  the  bed-side  of  each  man  and  told 
him  to  rise  and  have  breakfast.  Shaking-head 
asked  his  reward  of  the  giant  for  telling  him  of 
the  champions  of  Erin  and  the  danger  he  was  in. 

"  Well,"  said  the  giant,  "  there  's  a  pot  of  gold 
over  there  under  my  bed ;  take  as  much  out  of  it 
as  ever  you  wish,  and  welcome." 

"  It  is  n't  gold  I  want  for  my  service,"  said  Shak- 
ing-head ;  "  you  have  a  gift  which  suits  me  better." 

"  What  gift  is  that?  "  asked  the  giant. 

"  The  light  black  steed  in  your  stable." 

"  That 's  a  gift  I  won't  give  you,"  said  the  giant, 
"  for  when  any  one  comes  to  trouble  or  attack  me, 
all  I  have  to  do  is  to  throw  my  leg  over  that  steed, 
and  away  he  carries  me  out  of  sight  of  every 
enemy." 

"  Well,"  said  Shaking-head,  "  if  you  don't  give 
me  that  steed  I  '11  bring  all  the  kingdom  of  Erin 
against  you,  and  you  '11  be  destroyed  with  all 
you  have." 

The  giant  stopped  a  moment,  and  said :  "  I  be- 
lieve you  'd  do  that  thing,  so  you  may  take  the 
steed."  Then  Shaking-head  took  the  steed  of  the 
giant,  gave  him  to  the  king's  son,  and  away  they 
went. 

At  sunset  Shaking-head  said :  "  We  are  near 
the  castle  of  another  giant,  the  next  brother  to  the 


1 90      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

one  who  entertained  us  last  night.  He  has  n't 
much  welcome  for  us  either;  but  he  will  treat  us 
well  when  he  is  threatened." 

The  second  giant  was  going  to  eat  the  king's 
son  for  supper,  but  when  Shaking-head  told  him 
about  the  forces  of  Erin  he  changed  his  manner 
and  entertained  them  well. 

Next  morning  after  breakfast,  Shaking-head  said : 
"  You  must  give  me  a  present  for  my  services  in 
warning  you." 

"  There  is  a  pot  of  gold  under  my  bed,"  said  the 
giant;  "  take  all  you  want  of  it." 

"  I  don't  want  your  gold,"  said  Shaking-head, 
"  but  you  have  a  gift  which  suits  me  well." 

"  What  is  that?  "  asked  the  giant. 

"  The  two-handed  black  sword  that  never  fails  r 
blow." 

"  You  won't  get  that  gift  from  me,"  said  the 
giant;  "  and  I  can't  spare  it;  for  if  a  whole  army 
were  to  come  against  me,  as  soon  as  I  'd  have  my 
two  hands  on  the  hilt  of  that  sword,  I  'd  let  no  man 
near  me  without  sweeping  the  head  off  him." 

"Well,"  said  Shaking-head,  "  I  have  been  keep- 
ing back  your  enemies  this  long  time ;  but  I  '11  let 
them  at  you  now,  and  I  '11  raise  up  more.  I  '11  put 
the  whole  kingdom  of  Erin  against  you." 

The  giant  stopped  a  moment,  and  said :  "  I  be- 
lieve you  'd  do  that  if  it  served  you."  So  he  took 


Shaking-Head.  191 


the  sword  off  his  belt  and  handed  it  to  his 
guest.  Shaking-head  gave  it  to  the  king's 
son,  who  mounted  his  steed,  and  they  both  went 
away. 

When  they  had  gone  some  distance  from  the 
giant's  castle  Shaking-head  said  to  the  king's 
son,  "Where  shall  we  be  to-night?  —  you  have 
more  knowledge  than  I." 

"  Indeed  then  I  have  not,"  said  the  king's  son ; 
"  I  have  no  knowledge  at  all  of  where  we  are  go- 
ing ;  it  is  you  who  have  the  knowledge." 

"  Well,"  said  Shaking-head,  "  we  '11  be  at  the 
third  and  youngest  giant's  castle  to-night,  and  at  first 
he  '11  treat  us  far  worse  and  more  harshly,  but  still 
we  '11  take  this  night's  lodging  of  him,  and  a  good 
gift  in  the  morning." 

Soon  after  sunset  they  came  to  the  castle 
where  they  met  the  worst  reception  and  the 
harshest  they  had  found  on  the  road.  The  giant 
was  going  to  eat  them  both  for  supper ;  but  when 
Shaking-head  told  him  of  the  champions  of  Erin, 
he  became  as  kind  as  his  two  brothers,  and  gave 
good  entertainment  to  both. 

Next  morning  after  breakfast,  Shaking-head 
asked  for  a  present  in  return  for  his  services. 

"  Do  you  see  the  pot  of  gold  in  the  corner 
there  under  my  bed?  —  take  all  you  want  and 
welcome,"  said  the  giant. 


1 92      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  It's  not  gold  I  want,"  said  Shaking-head,  "  but 
the  cloak  of  darkness." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  giant,  "  you  '11  not  get  that  cloak 
of  me,  for  I  want  it  myself.  If  any  man  were  to 
come  against  me,  all  I  'd  have  to  do  would  be  to 
put  that  cloak  on  my  shoulders,  and  no  one  in  the 
world  could  see  me,  or  know  where  I  'd  be." 

"  Well,"  said  Shaking-head,  "  it 's  long  enough 
that  I  am  keeping  your  enemies  away ;  and  if  you 
don't  give  me  that  cloak  now  I'll  raise  all  the  king- 
dom of  Erin  and  still  more  forces  to  destroy  you, 
and  it 's  not  long  you  '11  last  after  they  come." 

The  giant  thought  a  moment,  and  then  said :  "  I 
believe  you  'd  do  what  you  say.  There 's  the 
black  cloak  hanging  on  the  wall  before  you ; 
take  it." 

Shaking-head  took  the  cloak,  and  the  two  went 
away  together,  the  king's  son  riding  on  the  light 
black  steed,  and  having  the  double-handed  sword 
at  his  back.  When  out  of  sight  of  the  giant, 
Shaking-head  put  on  the  cloak,  and  was  n't  to  be 
seen,  and  no  other  man  could  have  been  seen  in 
his  place.  Then  the  king's  son  looked  around, 
and  began  to  call  and  search  for  his  man,  —  he 
was  lonely  without  him  and  grieved  not  to  see 
him.  Shaking-head,  glad  to  see  the  affection  of 
the  king's  son,  took  off  the  cloak  and  was  at  his 
side  again. 


Shaking-Head.  193 

"  Where  are  we  going  now?  "  asked  the  king's  son. 

"We  are  going  on  a  long  journey  to  (Ri  Chuil 
an  Or)  King  Behind  the  Gold,  to  ask  his  daughter 
of  him." 

The  two  travelled  on,  till  they  came  to  the  castle 
of  King  Behind  the  Gold.  Then  Shaking-head 
said :  "  Go  in  you,  and  ask  his  daughter  of  the 
king,  and  I  '11  stay  here  outside  with  the  cloak  on 
me."  So  he  went  in  and  spoke  to  the  king,  and 
the  answer  he  got  was  this :  — 

"  I  am  willing  to  give  you  my  daughter,  but  you 
won't  get  her  unless  you  do  what  she  will  ask  of 
you.  And  I  must  tell  you  now  that  three  hundred 
kings'  sons,  lacking  one,  have  come  to  ask  for  my 
daughter,  and  in  the  garden  behind  my  castle  are 
three  hundred  iron  spikes,  and  every  spike  of 
them  but  one  is  covered  with  the  head  of  a  king's 
son  who  could  n't  do  what  my  daughter  wanted  of 
him,  and  I  'm  greatly  in  dread  that  your  own  head 
will  be  put  on  the  one  spike  that  is  left  uncovered." 

"  Well,"  said  the  king's  son,  "  I  '11  do  my  best 
to  keep  my  head  where  it  is  at  present." 

"  Stay  here  in  my  castle,"  said  the  king,  "  and 
you  '11  have  good  entertainment  till  we  know  can 
you  do  what  will  be  asked  of  you." 

At  night  when  the  king's  son  was  going  to  bed, 
the  princess  gave  him  a  thimble,  and  said :  "  Have 
this  for  me  in  the  morning." 

13 


1 94      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

He  put  the  thimble  on  his  finger;  and  she 
thought  it  could  be  easily  taken  away,  if  he  would 
sleep.  So  she  came  to  him  in  the  night,  with  a 
drink,  and  said :  "  I  give  you  this  in  hopes  I  '11 
gain  more  drink  by  you."  He  swallowed  the 
liquor,  and  the  princess  went  away  with  the  empty 
cup.  Then  the  king's  son  put  the  thimble  in  his 
mouth  between  his  cheek  and  his  teeth  for  safe 
keeping,  and  was  soon  asleep. 

When  the  princess  came  to  her  own  chamber, 
she  struck  her  maid  with  a  slat  an  draoichta  (a 
rod  of  enchantment)  and  turned  her  into  a  rat; 
then  she  made  such  music  of  fifes  and  trumpets  to 
sound  throughout  the  castle,  that  every  soul  in  it 
fell  asleep.  That  minute,  she  sent  the  rat  to  where 
the  king's  son  was  sleeping,  and  the  rat  put  her 
tail  into  the  nostrils  of  the  young  man,  tickled  his 
nose  so  that  he  sneezed  and  blew  the  thimble  out 
of  his  mouth.  The  rat  caught  it  and  ran  away  to 
the  princess,  who  struck  her  with  the  rod  of  en- 
chantment and  turned  her  into  a  maid  again. 

Then  the  princess  and  the  maid  set  out  for 
the  eastern  world,  taking  the  thimble  with  them. 
Shaking-head,  who  was  watching  with  his  cloak  on, 
unseen  by  all,  had  seen  everything,  and  now 
followed  at  their  heels.  In  the  eastern  world,  at 
the  sea-side  was  a  rock.  The  princess  tapped  it 
with  her  finger,  and  the  rock  opened ;  there  was 


Shaking-Head.  195 

a  great  house  inside,  and  in  the  house  a  giant. 
The  princess  greeted  him  and  gave  him  the  thim- 
ble, saying:  "You're  to  keep  this  so  no  man 
can  get  it." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  giant,  taking  the  thimble  and 
throwing  it  aside,  "  you  need  have  no  fear;  no  man 
can  find  me  in  this  place." 

Shaking-head  caught  the  thimble  from  the 
ground  and  put  it  in  his  pocket.  When  she  had 
finished  conversation  with  the  giant,  the  princess 
kissed  him,  and  hurried  away.  Shaking-head  fol- 
lowed her  step  for  step,  till  they  came  at  break 
of  day  to  the  castle  of  King  Behind  the  Gold. 
Shaking-head  went  to  the  king's  son  and  asked: 
"Was  anything  given  you  to  keep  last  night?" 

"  Yes,  before  I  came  to  this  chamber  the 
princess  gave  me  her  thimble,  and  told  me  to 
have  it  for  her  in  the  morning." 

"  Have  you  it  now?  "  asked  Shaking-head. 

"  It  is  not  in  my  mouth  where  I  put  it  last  night, 
it  is  not  in  the  bed ;  I  'm  afraid  my  head  is  lost," 
said  the  king's  son. 

"Well,  look  at  this,"  said  Shaking-head,  taking 
the  thimble  out  of  his  pocket  and  giving  it  to  him. 
"  The  whole  kingdom  is  moving  to-day  to  see  your 
death.  All  the  people  have  heard  that  you  are 
here  asking  for  the  princess,  and  they  think  your 
head  '11  be  put  on  the  last  spike  in  the  garden, 


1 96      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

with  the  heads  of  the  other  kings'  sons.  Rise  up 
now,  mount  your  light  black  steed,  ride  to  the 
summer-house  of  the  princess  and  her  father,  and 
give  her  the  thimble." 

The  king's  son  did  as  Shaking-head  told  him, 
When  he  gave  up  the  thimble,  the  king  said,  "You 
have  won  one  third  of  my  daughter."  But  the 
princess  was  bitterly  angry  and  vexed  to  the 
heart,  that  any  man  on  earth  should  know  that 
she  had  dealings  with  the  giant;  she  cared  more 
for  that  than  anything  else. 

When  the  second  day  had  passed,  and  the  king's 
son  was  going  to  bed,  the  princess  gave  him  a 
comb  to  keep,  and  said :  "  If  you  don't  have  this 
for  me  in  the  morning,  your  head  will  be  put  on 
the  spike  that's  left  in  my  father's  garden." 

The  king's  son  took  the  comb  with  him. 
wrapped  it  in  a  handkerchief,  and  tied  it  to  his 
head. 

In  the  night  the  princess  came  with  a  draught 
which  she  gave  him,  and  soon  he  was  asleep. 
Going  back  to  her  own  chamber,  she  struck  the 
maid  with  her  rod  of  enchantment,  and  made  a 
great  yellow  cat  of  her.  Then  she  caused  such  mu- 
sic of  fifes  and  trumpets  to  sound  throughout  the 
castle  that  every  soul  was  in  a  deep  sleep  before 
the  music  was  over,  and  that  moment  she  sent  the 
cat  to  the  chamber  of  the  king's  son.  The  cat 


Shaking-Head.  197 

worked  the  handkerchief  off  his  head,  took  out 
the  comb  and  ran  with  it  to  the  princess,  who 
turned  her  into  a  maid  again. 

The  two  set  out  for  the  eastern  world  straight- 
way ;  but  if  they  did,  Shaking-head  followed  them 
in  his  cloak  of  darkness,  till  they  came  to  the 
house  of  the  giant  in  the  great  rock  at  the  end  of 
the  road,  at  the  sea.  The  princess  gave  the  giant 
the  comb,  and  said :  "  The  thimble  that  I  gave 
you  to  keep  last  night  was  taken  from  you,  for  the 
king's  son  in  Erin  brought  it  back  to  me  this  morn- 
ing, and  has  done  one  third  of  the  work  of  winning 
me,  and  I  did  n't  expect  you  'd  serve  me  in  this 
way." 

When  the  giant  heard  this,  he  was  raging,  and 
threw  the  comb  into  the  sea  behind  him.  Then 
with  Druidic  spells  he  raised  thunder  and  light- 
ning and  wind.  The  sea  was  roaring  with  storm 
and  rain ;  but  the  comb  had  not  touched  the  water 
when  Shaking-head  caught  it. 

When  her  talk  was  over  the  princess  gave  the 
giant  a  kiss,  and  home  she  went  with  the  maid ; 
but  Shaking-head  followed  them  step  by  step. 

In  the  morning  Shaking-head  went  to  the  king's 
son,  roused  him,  and  asked :  "  What  was  your 
task  last  night?" 

"  The  princess  gave  me  a  comb  to  have  for  her 
this  morning,"  answered  the  king's  son. 


1 98      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Where  is  it  now?  "  asked  Shaking-head. 

"  Here  on  my  head,"  said  the  king's  son,  put- 
ting up  his  hand  to  get  it;  but  the  comb  was 
gone.  "  I  'm  done  for  now,"  said  the  king's  son ; 
"  my  head  will  be  on  the  last  spike  to-day  unless 
I  have  the  comb  for  the  princess." 

"  Here  it  is  for  you,"  said  Shaking-head,  taking 
the  comb  out  of  his  pocket.  "  And  now,"  said 
he,  "  the  whole  kingdom  is  coming  to  this  castle 
to-day  to  see  your  head  put  on  the  last  spike  in 
the  garden  of  King  Behind  the  Gold,  for  all  men 
think  the  same  will  happen  to  you  that  has  hap- 
pened to  every  king's  son  before  you.  Go  up  on 
your  steed  and  ride  to  the  summer-house  where 
the  king  and  his  daughter  are  sitting,  and  give  her 
the  comb." 

The  king's  son  did  as  Shaking-head  bade  him. 
When  he  saw  the  comb  the  king  said,  "  Now  you 
have  my  daughter  two-thirds  won."  But  her  face 
went  from  the  princess  entirely,  she  was  so  vexed 
that  any  man  should  know  of  her  dealings  with 
the  giant. 

The  third  night  when  he  was  going  to  bed  the 
princess  said  to  the  king's  son,  "  If  you  will  not 
have  at  my  father's  castle  to-morrow  morning  the 
head  I  will  kiss  to-night,  you  '11  die  to-morrow,  and 
your  own  head  will  be  put  on  the  last  spike  in  my 
father's  garden."  Later  in  the  night  she  came  to 


Shaking-Head.  1 99 

the  bedside  of  the  king's  son  with  a  draught,  which 
he  drank,  and  before  she  was  back  in  her  chamber, 
he  slept.  Then  she  made  such  music  all  over  the 
castle  that  not  a  soul  was  awake  when  the  music 
had  ceased.  That  moment  she  hurried  away  with 
her  maid  to  the  eastern  world ;  but  Shaking-head 
followed  her  in  his  cloak  of  darkness.  This  time 
he  carried  with  him  the  two-handed  sword  that 
never  failed  a  blow. 

When  she  came  to  the  rock  in  the  eastern  world 
and  entered  the  house  of  the  giant,  the  princess 
said,  "  You  let  my  two  gifts  go  with  the  son  of  the 
king  in  Erin,  and  he  '11  have  me  won  to-morrow  if 
he  '11  have  your  head  at  my  father's  castle  in  the 
morning." 

"  Never  fear,"  said  the  giant,  "  there  is  nothing  in 
the  world  to  take  the  head  off  me  but  the  double- 
handed  sword  of  darkness  that  never  fails  a  blow, 
and  that  sword  belongs  to  my  brother  in  the 
western  world." 

The  princess  gave  the  giant  a  kiss  at  parting; 
and  as  she  hurried  away  with  her  maid  the  giant 
turned  to  look  at  her.  His  head  was  covered 
with  an  iron  cap ;  but  as  he  looked  he  laid  bare 
a  thin  strip  of  his  neck.  Shaking-head  was 
there  near  him,  and  said  in  his  mind:  "Your 
brother's  sword  has  never  been  so  close  to  your 
neck  before ;  "  and  with  one  blow  he  swept  the 


2OO      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

head  off  him.  Then  began  the  greatest  struggle 
that  Shaking-head  ever  had,  to  keep  the  head 
from  the  body  of  the  giant.  The  head  fought 
to  put  itself  on  again,  and  never  stopped  till 
the  body  was  dead;  then  it  fell  to  the  ground. 
Shaking-head  seized,  but  could  n't  stir  the  head, 
—  could  n't  move  it  from  its  place.  Then  he 
searched  all  around  it  and  found  a  (bar  an  suan) 
pin  of  slumber  near  the  ear.  When  he  took  the 
pin  away  he  had  no  trouble  in  carrying  the  head ; 
and  he  made  no  delay  but  came  to  the  castle  at 
daybreak,  and  threw  the  head  to  a  herd  of  pigs 
that  belonged  to  the  -  king.  Then  he  went  to  the 
king's  son,  and  asked  : 

"  What  happened  to  you  last  night?  " 

"  The  princess  came  to  me,  and  said  that  if  I 
would  'nt  bring  to  her  father's  castle  this  morning 
the  head  she  was  to  kiss  last  night,  my  own  head 
would  be  on  the  last  spike  to-day." 

"  Come  out  with  me  now  to  the  pigs,"  said 
Shaking-head. 

The  two  went  out,  and  Shaking-head  said :  "  Go 
in  among  the  pigs,  and  take  the  head  with  you  to 
the  king ;  and  a  strange  head  it  is  to  put  before  a 
king." 

So  the  king's  son  went  on  his  steed  to  the  sum- 
mer-house, and  gave  the  head  to  the  king  and  his 
daughter,  and  turning  to  the  princess,  said : 


Shaking-Head.  2  o  I 

"  This  is  the  head  you  kissed  last  night,  and  it 's 
not  a  nice  looking  head  either." 

"  You  have  my  daughter  won  now  entirely,"  said 
the  king,  "  and  she  is  yours.  And  do  you  take  that 
head  to  the  great  dark  hole  that  is  out  there  on 
one  side  of  my  castle  grounds,  and  throw  it  down." 

The  king's  son  mounted  his  steed,  and  rode  off 
with  the  head  till  he  came  to  the  hole  going  deep 
into  the  earth.  When  he  let  down  the  head  it 
went  to  the  bottom  with  such  a  roaring  and  such 
a  noise  that  every  mare  and  cow  and  every  beast 
in  the  whole  kingdom  cast  its  young,  such  was  the 
terror  that  was  caused  by  the  noise  of  the  head  in 
going  to  the  bottom  of  the  hole. 

When  the  head  was  put  away  the  king's  son 
went  back  to  the  castle,  and  married  the  daughter 
of  King  Behind  the  Gold.  The  wedding  lasted 
nine  days  and  nights,  and  the  last  night  was  better 
than  the  first. 

When  the  wedding  was  over  Shaking-head  went 
to  the  king,  and  said :  "  You  have  provided  no  for- 
tune for  your  daughter,  and  it  is  but  right  that  you 
should  remember  her." 

"  I  have  plenty  of  gold  and  silver  to  give  her," 
said  the  king. 

"  It  is  n't  gold  and  silver  that  your  son-in-law 
wants,  but  men  to  stand  against  his  enemies,  when 
they  come  on  him." 


202      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  I  have  more  treasures  than  men,"  said  King 
Behind  the  Gold ;  "  but  I  won't  see  my  daughter 
conquered  for  want  of  an  army." 

They  were  satisfied  with  the  king's  word,  and 
next  day  took  the  road  to  Erin,  and  kept  on  their 
way  till  they  came  opposite  the  grave-yard.  Then 
Shaking-head  said  to  the  king's  son :  "  You  are 
no  good,  you  have  never  told  me  a  story  since  the 
first  day  I  saw  you." 

"  I  have  but  one  story  to  tell  you,  except  what 
happened  since  we  met." 

"  Well,  tell  me  what  happened  before  we  met." 

"  I  was  passing  this  place  before  I  saw  you,"  said 
the  king's  son,  "and  four  men  were  fighting  over  a 
coffin.  I  spoke  to  them,  and  two  of  them  said  they 
were  burying  the  body  of  their  brother  which  was 
in  the  coffin,  and  the  others  said  the  dead  man 
owed  them  five  pounds,  and  they  would  n't  let  the 
coffin  into  the  ground  until  they  got  the  money. 
I  paid  five  pounds  and  the  body  was  buried." 

"  It  was  my  body  was  in  the  coffin,"  said  Shak- 
ing-head, "  and  I  came  back  into  this  world  to  do 
you  a  good  turn ;  and  now  I  am  going,  and  you  '11 
never  see  me  again  unless  trouble  is  on  you." 

Shaking-head  disappeared,  and  the  king's  son 
went  home.  He  was  n't  with  his  father  long  till 
the  other  three  kings'  sons  heard  he  had  come 
back  to  Erin  with  the  daughter  of  Kine  Behind 


Shaking-Head.  203 

the  Gold.  They  sent  word,  saying:  "We'll  take 
the  head  off  you  now,  and  put  an  end  to  your 
father  and  yourself." 

The  king's  son  went  out  to  walk  alone,  and  as 
he  was  lamenting  the  fate  he  had  brought  on  his 
father,  who  should  come  along  to  meet  him  but 
Shaking-head. 

"  What  trouble  is  on  you  now?  "  asked  he. 

"  Oh,  three  kings'  sons  are  coming  with  their 
fleets  and  armies  to  destroy  my  father  and  myself, 
and  what  can  we  do  with  our  one  fleet  and  one 
army?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Shaking-head,  "  I  '11  settle  that 
for  you  without  delay."  Then  he  sent  a  message 
straight  to  King  Behind  the  Gold,  who  gave  a  fleet 
and  an  army,  and  they  came  to  Erin  so  quickly 
that  they  were  at  the  castle  before  the  forces  of 
the  three  kings'  sons.  And  when  the  three  came 
the  battle  began  on  sea  and  land  at  both  sides  of 
the  castle. 

The  three  fleets  of  the  three  kings'  sons  were 
sunk,  their  armies  destroyed,  and  the  three  heads 
taken  off  themselves.  When  the  battle  was  over 
and  the  country  safe  the  king  resigned  the  castle 
and  power  to  his  son,  and  the  son  of  a  king  in  a 
province  became  king  over  all  the  land  of  Erin. 


BIRTH   OF  FIN   MACCUMHAIL.1 

/"^UMHAL  MAC  ART  was  a  great  champion 
V*""  in  the  west  of  Erin,  and  it  was  prophesied  of 
him  that  if  ever  he  married  he  would  meet  death 
in  the  next  battle  he  fought. 

For  this  reason  he  had  no  wife,  and  knew  no 
woman  for  a  long  time ;  till  one  day  he  saw  the 
king's  daughter,  who  was  so  beautiful  that  he 
forgot  all  fear  and  married  her  in  secret. 

Next  day  after  the  marriage,  news  came  that  a 
battle  had  to  be  fought. 

Now  a  Druid  had  told  the  king  that  his  daugh- 
ter's son  would  take  the  kingdom  from  him ;  so  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  look  after  the  daughter,  and 
not  let  any  man  come  near  her. 

Before  he  went  to  the  battle,  Cumhal  told  his 
mother  everything,  —  told  her  of  his  relations 
with  the  king's  daughter. 

He  said,  "  I  shall  be  killed  in  battle  to-day, 
according  to  the  prophecy  of  the  Druid,  and  I  'm 
afraid  if  his  daughter  has  a  son  the  king  will  kill 

1  Cumhail,  genitive  of  Cumhal,  after  Mac  =  son;  pro- 
nounced Cool. 


Birth  of  Fin  MacCumhail.  205 

the  child,  for  the  prophecy  is  that  he  will  lose 
the  kingdom  by  the  son  of  his  own  daughter. 
Now,  if  the  king's  daughter  has  a  son  do  you 
hide  and  rear  him,  if  you  can ;  you  will  be  his 
only  hope  and  stay." 

Cumhal  was  killed  in  the  battle,  and  within  that 
year  the  king's  daughter  had  a  son. 

By  command  of  his  grandfather,  the  boy  was 
thrown  out  of  the  castle  window  into  a  loch,  to 
be  drowned,  on  the  day  of  his  birth. 

The  boy  sank  from  sight;  but  after  remaining 
a  while  under  the  water,  he  rose  again  to  the  sur- 
face, and  came  to  land  holding  a  live  salmon  in 
his  hand. 

The  grandmother  of  the  boy,  Cumhal's  mother, 
stood  watching  on  the  shore,  and  said  to  herself 
as  she  saw  this :  "  He  is  my  grandson,  the  true 
son  of  my  own  child,"  and  seizing  the  boy,  she 
rushed  away  with  him,  and  vanished,  before  the 
king's  people  could  stop  her. 

When  the  king  heard  that  the  old  woman  had 
escaped  with  his  daughter's  son,  he  fell  into  a 
terrible  rage,  and  ordered  all  the  male  children 
born  that  day  in  the  kingdom  to  be  put  to  death, 
hoping  in  this  way  to  kill  his  own  grandson,  and 
save  the  crown  for  himself. 

After  she  had  disappeared  from  the  bank  of 
the  loch,  the  old  woman,  Cumhal's  mother,  made 


206       Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

her  way  to  a  thick  forest,  where  she  spent  that 
night  as  best  she  could.  Next  day  she  came  to 
a  great  oak  tree.  Then  she  hired  a  man  to  cut 
out  a  chamber  in  the  tree. 

When  all  was  finished,  and  there  was  a  nice 
room  in  the  oak  for  herself  and  her  grandson,  and 
a  whelp  of  the  same  age  as  the  boy,  and  which 
she  had  brought  with  her  from  the  castle,  she 
said  to  the  man :  "  Give  me  the  axe  which  you 
have  in  your  hand,  there  is  something  here  that 
I  want  to  fix." 

The  man  gave  the  axe  into  her  hand,  and  that 
minute  she  swept  the  head  off  him,  saying: 
"  You  '11  never  tell  any  man  about  this  place 
now." 

One  day  the  whelp  ate  some  of  the  fine  chip- 
pings  (dran)  left  cut  by  the  carpenter  from  the 
inside  of  the  tree.  The  old  woman  said:  "You'll 
be  called  Bran  from  this  out." 

All  three  lived  in  the  tree  together,  and  the  old 
woman  did  not  take  her  grandson  out  till  the  end 
of  five  years ;  and  then  he  could  n't  walk,  he  had 
been  sitting  so  long  inside. 

When  the  old  grandmother  had  taught  the  boy 
to  walk,  she  brought  him  one  day  to  the  brow  of 
a  hill  from  which  there  was  a  long  slope.  She 
took  a  switch  and  said :  "  Now,  run  down  this 
place.  I  will  follow  and  strike  you  with  this 


Birth  of  Fin  MacCumhail.  207 

switch,  and  coming  up  I  will   run  ahead,  and  you 
strike  me  as  often  as  you  can." 

The  first  time  they  ran  down,  his  grandmother 
struck  him  many  times.  In  coming  up  the  first 
time,  he  did  not  strike  her  at  all.  Every  time 
they  ran  down  she  struck  him  less,  and  every  time 
they  ran  up  he  struck  her  more. 

They  ran  up  and  down  for  three  days ;  and  at 
the  end  of  that  time  she  could  not  strike  him 
once,  and  he  struck  her  at  every  step  she  took. 
He  had  now  become  a  great  runner. 

When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  the  old  woman 
went  with  him  to  a  hurling  match  between  the 
forces  of  his  grandfather  and  those  of  a  neighboring 
king.  Both  sides  were  equal  in  skill ;  and  neither 
was  able  to  win,  till  the  youth  opposed  his  grand- 
father's people.  Then,  he  won  every  game.  When 
the  ball  was  thrown  in  the  air,  he  struck  it  coming 
down,  and  so  again  and  again,  —  never  letting  the 
ball  touch  the  ground  till  he  had  driven  it  through 
the  barrier. 

The  old  king,  who  was  very  angry,  and  greatly 
mortified,  at  the  defeat  of  his  people,  exclaimed,  as 
he  saw  the  youth,  who  was  very  fair  and  had  white 
hair:  "  Who  is  that  fin  cumhal1  [white  cap]  ?  " 

1  Cumhal,  the  name  of  Fin's  father.  Denotes  also  a  cap 
or  head-covering,  fin  =  white.  The  punning  resemblance 
suggested  to  the  old  woman  the  full  name,  Fin  MacCumhail. 


208      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Ah,  that  is  it ;  Fin  will  be  his  name,  and  Fin 
MacCumhail  he  is,"  said  the  old  woman. 

The  king  ordered  his  people  to  seize  and  put 
the  young  man  to  death,  on  the  spot.  The  old 
woman  hurried  to  the  side  of  her  grandson.  They 
slipped  from  the  crowd  and  away  they  went,  a  hill 
at  a  leap,  a  glen  at  a  step,  and  thirty-two  miles  at 
a  running-leap.  They  ran  a  long  distance,  till  Fin 
grew  tired ;  then  the  old  grandmother  took  him  on 
her  back,  putting  his  feet  into  two  pockets  which 
were  in  her  dress,  one  on  each  side,  and  ran  on 
with  the  same  swiftness  as  before,  a  hill  at  a  leap, 
a  glen  at  a  step,  and  thirty-two  miles  at  a  running- 
leap. 

After  a  time,  the  old  woman  felt  the  approach 
of  pursuit,  and  said  to  Fin :  "  Look  behind,  and 
tell  me  what  you  see." 

"  I  see,"  said  he,  "  a  white  horse  with  a  cham- 
pion on  his  back." 

"  Oh,  no  fear,"  said  she ;  "  a  white  horse  has  no 
endurance;  he  can  never  catch  us,  we  are  safe 
from  him."  And  on  they  sped.  A  second  time 
she  felt  the  approach  of  pursuit,  and  again  she 
said :  "  Look  back,  and  see  who  is  coming." 

Fin  looked  back,  and  said :  "  I  see  a  warrior 
riding  on  a  brown  horse." 

"  Never  fear,"  said  the  old  woman ;  "  there  is 
never  a  brown  horse  but  is  giddy,  he  cannot 


Birth  of  Fin  MacCumhail.          209 

overtake  us."  She  rushed  on  as  before.  A  third 
time  she  said :  "  Look  around,  and  see  who  is 
coming  now." 

Fin  looked,  and  said :  "  I  see  a  black  warrior  on 
a  black  horse,  following  fast." 

"  There  is  no  horse  so  tough  as  a  black  horse," 
said  the  grandmother.  "  There  is  no  escape 
from  this  one.  My  grandson,  one  or  both  of  us 
must  die.  I  am  old,  my  time  has  nearly  come. 
I  will  die,  and  you  and  Bran  save  yourselves. 
(Bran  had  been  with  them  all  the  time.)  Right 
here  ahead  is  a  deep  bog ;  you  jump  off  my  back, 
and  escape  as  best  you  can.  I  '11  jump  into  the 
bog  up  to  my  neck;  and  when  the  king's  men 
come,  I  '11  say  that  you  are  in  the  bog  before  me, 
sunk  out  of  sight,  and  I  'm  trying  to  find  you.  As 
my  hair  and  yours  are  the  same  color,  they  will 
think  my  head  good  enough  to  carry  back.  They 
will  cut  it  off,  and  take  it  in  place  of  yours,  and 
show  it  to  the  king ;  that  will  satisfy  his  anger." 

Fin  slipped  down,  took  farewell  of  his  grand- 
mother, and  hurried  on  with  Bran.  The  old 
woman  came  to  the  bog,  jumped  in,  and  sank  to 
her  neck.  The  king's  men  were  soon  at  the  edge 
of  the  bog,  and  the  black  rider  called  out  to  the 
old  woman:  "Where  is  Fin?" 

"  He  is  here  in  the  bog  before  me,  and  I  'm 
trying  can  I  find  him." 


2  io      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

As  the  horsemen  could  not  find  Fin,  and 
thought  the  old  woman's  head  would  do  to  carry 
back,  they  cut  it  off,  and  took  it  with  them,  saying : 
"  This  will  satisfy  the  king." 

Fin  and  Bran  went  on  till  they  came  to  a  great 
cave,  in  which  they  found  a  herd  of  goats.  At 
the  further  end  of  the  cave  was  a  smouldering 
fire.  The  two  lay  down  to  rest. 

A  couple  of  hours  later,  in  came  a  giant  with 
a  salmon  in  his  hand.  This  giant  was  of  awful 
height,  he  had  but  one  eye,  and  that  in  the  mid- 
dle of  his  forehead,  as  large  as  the  sun  in  heaven. 

When  he  saw  Fin,  he  called  out :  "  Here,  take 
this  salmon  and  roast  it ;  but  be  careful,  for  if  you 
raise  a  single  blister  on  it  I  '11  cut  the  head  off  you. 
I  Ve  followed  this  salmon  for  three  days  and  three 
nights  without  stopping,  and  I  never  let  it  out  of 
my  sight,  for  it  is  the  most  wonderful  salmon  in  the 
world." 

The  giant  lay  down  to  sleep  in  the  middle  of  the 
cave.  Fin  spitted  the  salmon,  and  held  it  over 
the  fire. 

The  minute  the  giant  closed  the  one  eye  in  his 
head,  he  began  to  snore.  Every  time  he  drew 
breath  into  his  body,  he  dragged  Fin,  the  spit, 
the  salmon,  Bran,  and  all  the  goats  to  his  mouth ; 
and  every  time  he  drove  a  breath  out  of  himself, 
he  threw  them  back  to  the  places  they  were  in 


Birth  of  Fin  MacCumhail.          2 1 1 

before.  Fin  was  drawn  time  after  time  to  the 
mouth  of  the  giant  with  such  force,  that  he  was 
in  dread  of  going  down  his  throat. 

When  partly  cooked,  a  blister  rose  on  the 
salmon.  Fin  pressed  the  place  with  his  thumb,  to 
know  could  he  break  the  blister,  and  hide  from 
the  giant  the  harm  that  was  done.  But  he  burned 
his  thumb,  and,  to  ease  the  pain,  put  it  between 
his  teeth,  and  gnawed  the  skin  to  the  flesh,  the 
flesh  to  the  bone,  the  bone  to  the  marrow;  and 
when  he  had  tasted  the  marrow,  he  received  the 
knowledge  of  all  things.  Next  moment,  he  was 
drawn  by  the  breath  of  the  giant  right  up  to  his 
face,  and,  knowing  from  his  thumb  what  to  do,  he 
plunged  the  hot  spit  into  the  sleeping  eye  of  the 
giant  and  destroyed  it. 

That  instant  the  giant  with  a  single  bound  was 
at  the  low  entrance  of  the  cave,  and,  standing  with 
his  back  to  the  wall  and  a  foot  on  each  side  of  the 
opening,  roared  out:  "You  '11  not  leave  this  place 
alive." 

Now  Fin  killed  the  largest  goat,  skinned  him  as 
quickly  as  he  could,  then  putting  the  skin  on  him- 
self he  drove  the  herd  to  where  the  giant  stood ; 
the  goats  passed  out  one  by  one  between  his  legs. 
When  the  great  goat  came  the  giant  took  him  by 
the  horns.  Fin  slipped  from  the  skin,  and  ran 
out. 


212       Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Oh,  you  Ve  escaped,  "  said  the  giant,  "  but  be- 
fore we  part  let  me  make  you  a  present." 

"  I  'm  afraid  to  go  near  you,"  said  Fin ;  "  if  you 
wish  to  give  me  a  present,  put  it  out  this  way,  and 
then  go  back." 

The  giant  placed  a  ring  on  the  ground,  then 
went  back.  Fin  took  up  the  ring  and  put  it  on 
the  end  of  his  little  finger  above  the  first  joint.  It 
clung  so  firmly  that  no  man  in  the  world  could 
have  taken  it  off. 

The  giant  then  called  out,  "  Where  are 
you?" 

"  On  Fin's  finger, "  cried  the  ring.  That  in- 
stant the  giant  sprang  at  Fin  and  almost  came 
down  on  his  head,  thinking  in  this  way  to  crush 
him  to  bits.  Fin  sprang  to  a  distance.  Again  the 
giant  asked,  "Where  are  you?  " 

"  On  Fin's  finger,"  answered  the  ring. 

Again  the  giant  made  a  leap,  coming  down  just 
in  front  of  Fin.  Many  times  he  called  and  many 
times  almost  caught  Fin,  who  could  not  escape 
with  the  ring  on  his  finger.  While  in  this  terrible 
struggle,  not  knowing  how  to  escape,  Bran  ran 
up  and  asked : 

"  Why  don't  you  chew  your  thumb?  " 

Fin  bit  his  thumb  to  the  marrow,  and  then  knew 
what  to  do.  He  took  the  knife  with  which  he  had 
skinned  the  goat,  cut  off  his  finger  at  the  first 


Birth  of  Fin  MacCumhail.          213 

joint,  and  threw  it,  with  the  ring  still  on,  into  a 
deep  bog  near  by. 

Again  the  giant  called  out,  "Where  are  you?" 
and  the  ring  answered,  "  On  Fin's  finger." 

Straightway  the  giant  sprang  towards  the  voice, 
sank  to  his  shoulders  in  the  bog,  and  stayed  there. 

Fin  with  Bran  now  went  on  his  way,  and  trav- 
elled till  he  reached  a  deep  and  thick  wood,  where 
a  thousand  horses  were  drawing  timber,  and  men 
felling  and  preparing  it. 

"What  is  this?"  asked  Fin  of  the  overseer  of 
the  workmen. 

"  Oh,  we  are  building  a  dun  (a  castle)  for  the 
king ;  we  build  one  every  day,  and  every  night  it  is 
burned  to  the  ground.  Our  king  has  an  only 
daughter ;  he  will  give  her  to  any  man  who  will 
save  the  dun,  and  he  '11  leave  him  the  kingdom  at 
his  death.  If  any  man  undertakes  to  save  the  dun 
and  fails,  his  life  must  pay  for  it;  the  king  will 
cut  his  head  off.  The  best  champions  in  Erin  have 
tried  and  failed ;  they  are  now  in  the  king's  dun- 
geons, a  whole  army  of  them,  waiting  the  king's 
pleasure.  He 's  going  to  cut  the  heads  off  them 
all  in  one  day." 

"Why  don't  you  chew  your  thumb?"  asked 
Bran. 

Fin  chewed  his  thumb  to  the  marrow,  and  then 
knew  that  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  world  there 


2 1 4      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

lived  an  old  hag  with  her  three  sons,  and  every 
evening  at  nightfall  she  sent  the  youngest  of  these 
to  burn  the  king's  dun. 

"  I  will  save  the  king's  dun,"  said  Fin. 

"  Well,"  said  the  overseer,  "  better  men  than 
you  have  tried  and  lost  their  lives." 

"  Oh,"  said  Fin,  "  I  'm  not  afraid ;  I  '11  try  for 
the  sake  of  the  king's  daughter." 

Now  Fin,  followed  by  Bran,  went  with  the  over- 
seer to  the  king.  "  I  hear  you  will  give  your 
daughter  to  the  man  who  saves  your  dun,"  said 
Fin. 

"  I  will,"  said  the  king;  "but  if  he  fails  I  must 
have  his  head." 

"  Well,"  said  Fin,  "  I  '11  risk  my  head  for  the  sake 
of  your  daughter.  If  I  fail  I  'm  satisfied."  The 
king  gave  Fin  food  and  drink;  he  supped,  and 
after  supper  went  to  the  dun. 

"  Why  don't  you  chew  your  thumb?  "  said  Bran ; 
"  then  you'll  know  what  to  do."  He  did.  Then  Bran 
took  her  place  on  the  roof,  waiting  for  the  old 
woman's  son.  Now  the  old  woman  in  the  east 
told  her  youngest  son  to  hurry  on  with  his 
torches,  burn  the  dun,  and  come  back  without 
delay;  for  the  stirabout  was  boiling  and  he  must 
not  be  too  late  for  supper. 

He  took  the  torches,  and  shot  off  through  the 
air  with  a  wonderful  speed.  Soon  he  was  in  sight 


Birth  of  Fin  Mac  Cum/tail.  215 

of  the  king's   dun,  threw   the  torches    upon  the 
thatched  roof  to  set  it  on  fire  as  usual. 

That  moment  Bran  gave  the  torches  such  a  push 
with  her  shoulders,  that  they  fell  into  the  stream 
which  ran  around  the  dun,  and  were  put  out. 
"  Who  is  this,"  cried  the  youngest  son  of  the  old 
hag,  "  who  has  dared  to  put  out  my  lights,  and 
interfere  with  my  hereditary  right?  " 

"  I,"  said  Fin,  who  stood  in  front  of  him.  Then 
began  a  terrible  battle  between  Fin  and  the  old 
woman's  son.  Bran  came  down  from  the  dun  to 
help  Fin ;  she  bit  and  tore  his  enemy's  back,  strip- 
ping the  skin  and  flesh  from  his  head  to  his 
heels. 

After  a  terrible  struggle  such  as  had  not  been  in 
the  world  before  that  night,  Fin  cut  the  head  off 
his  enemy.  But  for  Bran,  Fin  could  never  have 
conquered. 

The  time  for  the  return  of  her  son  had  passed ; 
supper  was  ready.  The  old  woman,  impatient  and 
angry,  said  to  the  second  son :  "  You  take  torches 
and  hurry  on,  see  why  your  brother  loiters.  I  '11 
pay  him  for  this  when  he  comes  home !  But  be 
careful  and  don't  do  like  him,  or  you  '11  have  your 
pay  too.  Hurry  back,  for  the  stirabout  is  boiling 
and  ready  for  supper." 

He  started  off,  was  met  and  killed  exactly  as  his 
brother,  except  that  he  was  stronger  and  the  battle 


2 1 6      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

fiercer.  But  for  Bran,  Fin  would  have  lost  his  life 
that  night. 

The  old  woman  was  raging  at  the  delay,  and 
said  to  her  eldest  son,  who  had  not  been  out  of 
the  house  for  years :  (It  was  only  in  case  of  the 
greatest  need  that  she  sent  him.  He  had  a  cat's 
head,  and  was  called  Pus  an  Chuine,  "  Puss  of  the 
Corner ;  "  he  was  the  eldest  and  strongest  of  all 
the  brothers.)  "  Now  take  torches,  go  and  see 
what  delays  your  brothers ;  I  '11  pay  them  for  this 
when  they  come  home." 

The  eldest  brother  shot  off  through  the  air, 
came  to  the  king's  dun,  and  threw  his  torches  upon 
the  roof.  They  had  just  singed  the  straw  a  little, 
when  Bran  pushed  them  off  with  such  force  that 
they  fell  into  the  stream  and  were  quenched. 

"  Who  is  this,"  screamed  Cat-head,  "  who  dares 
to  interfere  with  my  ancestral  right?  "  1 

"  I,"  shouted  Fin.  Then  the  struggle  began 
fiercer  than  with  the  second  brother.  Bran  helped 
from  behind,  tearing  the  flesh  from  his  head  to  his 
heels;  but  at  length  Cat-head  fastened  his  teeth 
into  Fin's  breast,  biting  and  gnawing  till  Fin  cut 
the  head  off.  The  body  fell  to  the  ground,  but  the 
head  lived,  gnawing  as  terribly  as  before.  Do 
what  they  could  it  was  impossible  to  kill  it.  Fin 
hacked  and  cut,  but  could  neither  kill  nor  pull  it 
off.  When  nearly  exhausted,  Bran  said : 


Birth  of  Fin  MacCumhail.          217 

"  Why  don't  you  chew  your  thumb?  " 

Fin  chewed  his  thumb,  and  reaching  the  marrow 
knew  that  the  old  woman  in  the  east  was  ready  to 
start  with  torches  to  find  her  sons,  and  burn  the 
dun  herself,  and  that  she  had  a  vial  of  liquid  with 
which  she  could  bring  the  sons  to  life;  and  that 
nothing  could  free  him  from  Cat-head  but  the  old 
woman's  blood. 

After  midnight  the  old  hag,  enraged  at  the  delay 
of  her  sons,  started  and  shot  through  the  air  like 
lightning,  more  swiftly  than  her  sons.  She  threw 
her  torches  from  afar  upon  the  roof  of  the  dun ;  but 
Bran  as  before  hurled  them  into  the  stream. 

Now  the  old  woman  circled  around  in  the  air 
looking  for  her  sons.  Fin  was  getting  very  weak 
from  pain  and  loss  of  blood,  for  Cat-head  was 
biting  at  his  breast  all  the  time. 

Bran  called  out :  "  Rouse  yourself,  oh,  Fin ;  use 
all  your  power  or  we  are  lost !  If  the  old  hag 
gets  a  drop  from  the  vial  upon  the  bodies  of  her 
sons,  they  will  come  to  life,  and  then  we're 
done  for." 

Thus  roused,  Fin  with  one  spring  reached  the 
old  woman  in  the  air,  and  swept  the  bottle  from 
her  grasp;  which  falling  upon  the  ground  was 
emptied. 

The  old  hag  gave  a  scream  which  was  heard  all 
over  the  world,  came  to  the  ground  and  closed 


2 1 8      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

with  Fin.  Then  followed  a  battle  greater  than  the 
world  had  ever  known  before  that  night,  or  has 
ever  seen  since.  Water  sprang  out  of  gray  rocks, 
cows  cast  their  calves  even  when  they  had  none, 
and  hard  rushes  grew  soft  in  the  remotest  corner 
of  Erin,  so  desperate  was  the  fighting  and  so 
awful,  between  Fin  and  the  old  hag.  Fin  would 
have  died  that  night  but  for  Bran. 

Just  as  daylight  was  coming  Fin  swept  the  head 
off  the  old  woman,  caught  some  of  her  blood,  and 
rubbed  it  around  Cat-head,  who  fell  off  dead. 

He  rubbed  his  own  wounds  with  the  blood  and 
was  cured ;  then  rubbed  some  on  Bran,  who  had 
been  singed  with  the  torches,  and  she  was  as  well 
as  ever.  Fin,  exhausted  with .  fighting,  dropped 
down  and  fell  asleep. 

While  he  was  sleeping  the  chief  steward  of  the 
king  came  to  the  dun,  found  it  standing  safe  and 
sound,  and  seeing  Fin  lying  there  asleep  knew  that 
he  had  saved  it.  Bran  tried  to  waken  Fin,  pulled 
and  tugged,  but  could  not  rouse  him. 

The  steward  went  to  the  king,  and  said :  "  I 
have  saved  the  dun,  and  I  claim  the  reward." 

"  It  shall  be  given  you,"  answered  the  king ;  and 
straightway  the  steward  was  recognized  as  the 
king's  son-in-law,  and  orders  were  given  to  make 
ready  for  the  wedding. 

Bran  had  listened  to  what  was  going  on,  and 


Birth  of  Fin  MacCumhaiL  219 

when  her  master  woke,  exactly  at  midday,  she  told 
him  of  all  that  was  taking  place  in  the  castle  of  the 
king. 

Fin  went  to  the  king,  and  said :  "I  have  saved 
your  dun,  and  I  claim  the  reward." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  king,  "  my  steward  claimed  the 
reward,  and  it  has  been  given  to  him." 

"  He  had  nothing  to  do  with  saving  the  dun ;  I 
saved  it,"  said  Fin. 

"  Well,"  answered  the  king,  "  he  is  the  first  man 
who  told  me  of  its  safety  and  claimed  the  reward." 

"  Bring  him  here :  let  me  look  at  him,"  said  Fin. 

He  was  sent  for,  and  came.  "  Did  you  save  the 
king's  dun  ?  "  asked  Fin.  "  I  did,"  said  the 
steward. 

"  You  did  not,  and  take  that  for  your  lies,"  said 
Fin ;  and  striking  him  with  the  edge  of  his  open 
hand  he  swept  the  head  off  his  body,  dashing  it 
against  the  other  side  of  the  room,  flattening  it 
like  paste  on  the  wall. 

"  You  are  the  man,"  said  the  king  to  Fin,  "  who 
saved  the  dun ;  yours  is  the  reward.  All  the 
champions,  and  there  is  many  a  man  of  them,  who 
have  failed  to  save  it  are  in  the  dungeons  of  my 
fortress;  their  heads  must  be  cut  off  before  the 
wedding  takes  place." 

"Will  you  let  me  see  them?  "  asked  Fin. 

"  I  will,"  said  the  king. 


2  2O      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Fin  went  down  to  the  men,  and  found  the  first 
champions  of  Erin  in  the  dungeons.  "  Will  you 
obey  me  in  all  things  if  I  save  you  from  death?" 
said  Fin.  "  We  will,"  said  they.  Then  he  went 
back  to  the  king  and  asked: 

"  Will  you  give  me  the  lives  of  these  champions 
of  Erin,  in  place  of  your  daughter's  hand?" 

"  I  will,"  said  the  king. 

All  the  champions  were  liberated,  and  left  the 
king's  castle  that  day.  Ever  after  they  followed 
the  orders  of  Fin,  and  these  were  the  beginning  of 
his  forces  and  the  first  of  the  Fenians  of  Erin. 


FIN    MACCUMHAIL    AND    THE    FENIANS    OF 
ERIN  IN  THE  CASTLE  OF  FEAR  DUBH. 

IT  was  the  custom  with  Fin  MacCumhail  and 
the  Fenians  of  Erin,  when  a  stranger  from 
any  part  of  the  world  came  to  their  castle,  not  to 
ask  him  a  question  for  a  year  and  a  day. 

On  a  time,  a  champion  came  to  Fin  and  his 
men,  and  remained  with  them.  He  was  not  at  all 
pleasant  or  agreeable. 

At  last  Fin  and  his  men  took  counsel  together ; 
they  were  much  annoyed  because  their  guest  was 
so  dull  and  morose,  never  saying  a  word,  always 
silent. 

While  discussing  what  kind  of  man  he  was,  Diar- 
muid  Duivne  offered  to  try  him ;  so  one  evening 
when  they  were  eating  together,  Diarmuid  came 
and  snatched  from  his  mouth  the  hind-quarter  of 
a  bullock,  which  he  was  picking. 

Diarmuid  pulled  at  one  part  of  the  quarter,  — 
pulled  with  all  his  strength,  but  only  took  the 
part  that  he  seized,  while  the  other  kept  the  part 
he  held.  All  laughed ;  the  stranger  laughed  too, 


222       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

as  heartily  as  any.     It  was  the  first  laugh  they  had 
heard  from  him. 

The  strange  champion  saw  all  their  feats  of  arms 
and  practised  with  them,  till  the  year  and  a  day 
were  over.  Then  he  said  to  Fin  and  his  men: 

"  I  have  spent  a  pleasant  year  in  your  com- 
pany; you  gave  me  good  treatment,  and  the  least 
I  can  do  now  is  to  give  you  a  feast  at  my  own 
castle." 

No  one  had  asked  what  his  name  was  up  to  that 
time.  Fin  now  asked  his  name.  He  answered: 
"  My  name  is  Fear  Dubh,  of  Alba." 

Fin  accepted  the  invitation ;  and  they  appointed 
the  day  for  the  feast,  which  was  to  be  in  Erin,  since 
Fear  Dubh  did  not  wish  to  trouble  them  to  go  to 
Alban.  He  took  leave  of  his  host  and  started  for 
home. 

When  the  day  for  the  feast  came,  Fin  and  the 
chief  men  of  the  Fenians  of  Erin  set  out  for  the 
castle  of  Fear  Dubh. 

They  went,  a  glen  at  a  step,  a  hill  at  a  leap,  and 
thirty-two  miles  at  a  running  leap,  till  they  came 
to  the  grand  castle  where  the  feast  was  to  be 
given. 

They  went  in;  everything  was  ready,  seats  at 
the  table,  and  every  man's  name  at  his  seat  in  the 
same  order  as  at  Fin's  castle.  Diarmuid,  who 
was  always  very  sportive,  —  fond  of  hunting,  and 


Fin  Mac  Cum  hail.  223 

paying  court  to  women,  was  not  with  them ;  he  had 
gone  to  the  mountains  with  his  dogs. 

All  sat  down,  except  Conan  Maol  MacMorna 
(never  a  man  spoke  well  of  him) ;  no  seat  was 
ready  for  him,  for  he  used  to  lie  on  the  flat  of 
his  back  on  the  floor,  at  Fin's  castle. 

When  all  were  seated  the  door  of  the  castle 
closed  of  itself.  Fin  then  asked  the  man  nearest 
the  door,  to  rise  and  open  it.  The  man  tried  to 
rise ;  he  pulled  this  way  and  that,  over  and  hither, 
but  he  could  n't  get  up.  Then  the  next  man  tried, 
and  the  next,  and  so  on,  till  the  turn  came  to  Fin 
himself,  who  tried  in  vain. 

Now,  whenever  Fin  and  his  men  were  in  trouble 
and  great  danger  it  was  their  custom  to  raise  a 
cry  of  distress  (a  voice  of  howling),  heard  all 
over  Erin.  Then  all  men  knew  that  they  were 
in  peril  of  death ;  for  they  never  raised  this  cry 
except  in  the  last  extremity. 

Fin's  son,  Fialan,  who  was  three  years  old  and 
in  the  cradle,  heard  the  cry,  was  roused,  and 
jumped  up. 

"  Get  me  a  sword !  "  said  he  to  the  nurse.  "My 
father  and  his  men  are  in  distress ;  I  must  go  to 
aid  them." 

"  What  could  you  do,  poor  little  child." 

Fialan  looked  around,  saw  an  old  rusty  sword- 
blade  laid  aside  for  ages.  He  took  it  down,  gave 


224      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

it  a  snap ;  it  sprang  up  so  as  to  hit  his  arm,  and 
all  the  rust  dropped  off;  the  blade  was  pure  as 
shining  silver. 

"  This  will  do,"  said  he ;  and  then  he  set  out 
towards  the  place  where  he  heard  the  cry,  going 
a  glen  at  a  step,  a  hill  at  a  leap,  and  thirty-two 
miles  at  a  running  leap,  till  he  came  to  the  door 
of  the  castle,  and  cried  out. 

Fin  answered  from  inside,  "  Is  that  you,  my 
child?" 

"  It  is,"  said  Fialan. 

"Why  did  you  come?" 

"  I  heard  your  cry,  and  how  could  T  stay  at 
home,  hearing  the  cry  of  my  father  and  the 
Fenians  of  Erin  !  " 

"  Oh,  my  child,  you  cannot  help  us  much." 

Fialan  struck  the  door  powerfully  with  his 
sword,  but  no  use.  Then,  one  of  the  men  inside 
asked  Fin  to  chew  his  thumb,  to  know  what  was 
keeping  them  in,  and  why  they  were  bound. 

Fin  chewed  his  thumb,  from  skin  to  blood,  from 
blood  to  bone,  from  bone  to  marrow,  and  dis- 
covered that  Fear  Dubh  had  built  the  castle  by 
magic,  and  that  he  was  coming  himself  with  a 
great  force  to  cut  the  head  off  each  one  of  them. 
(These  men  from  Alba  had  always  a  grudge 
against  the  champions  of  Erin.) 

Said   Fin   to   Fialan :    "  Do   you   go   now,    and 


Fin  MacCumhail.  225 

stand  at  the  ford  near  the  castle,  and  meet  Fear 
Dubh." 

Fialan  went  and  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  ford. 
He  was  n't  long  there  when  he  saw  Fear  Dubh 
coming  with  a  great  army. 

"  Leave  the  ford,  my  child,"  said  Fear  Dubh, 
who  knew  him  at  once.  "  I  have  not  come  to 
harm  your  father.  I  spent  a  pleasant  year  at  his 
castle.  I  Ve  only  come  to  show  him  honor." 

"  I  know  why  you  have  come,"  answered  Fialan. 
"  You  Ve  come  to  destroy  my  father  and  all  his 
men,  and  I  '11  not  leave  this  ford  while  I  can 
hold  it." 

"  Leave  the  ford ;  I  don't  want  to  harm  your 
father,  I  want  to  do  him  honor.  If  you  don't  let 
us  pass  my  men  will  kill  you,"  said  Fear  Dubh. 

"  I  will  not  let  you  pass  so  long  as  I  'm  alive 
before  you,"  said  Fialan. 

The  men  faced  him;  and  if  they  did  Fialan 
kept  his  place,  and  a  battle  commenced,  the  like 
of  which  was  never  seen  before  that  day.  Fialan 
went  through  the  army  as  a  hawk  through  a  flock 
of  sparrows  on  a  March  morning,  till  he  killed 
every  man  except  Fear  Dubh.  Fear  Dubh  told 
him  again  to  leave  the  ford,  he  didn't  want  t<? 
harm  his  father. 

"  Oh !  "  said  Fialan,  "  I  know  well  what  you 
want." 

15 


226      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  If  you  don't  leave  that  place  I  '11  make  you 
leave  it !  "  said  Fear  Dubh.  Then  they  closed  in 
combat ;  and  such  a  combat  was  never  seen  before 
between  any  two  warriors.  They  made  springs  to 
rise  through  the  centre  of  hard  gray  rocks,  cows 
to  cast  their  calves  whether  they  had  them  or  not. 
All  the  horses  of  the  country  were  racing  about 
and  neighing  in  dread  and  fear,  and  all  created 
things  were  terrified  at  the  sound  and  clamor  of 
the  fight,  till  the  weapons  of  Fear  Dubh  went  to 
pieces  in  the  struggle,  and  Fialan  made  two  halves 
of  his  own  sword. 

Now  they  closed  in  wrestling.  In  the  first  round 
Fialan  put  Fear  Dubh  to  his  knees  in  the  hard 
bottom  of  the  river ;  the  second  round  he  put  him 
to  his  hips,  and  the  third,  to  his  shoulders. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "I  have  you,"  giving  him  a 
stroke  of  the  half  of  his  sword,  which  cut  the 
head  off  him. 

Then  Fialan  went  to  the  door  of  the  castle  and 
told  his  father  what  he  had  done. 

Fin  chewed  his  thumb  again,  and  knew  what 
other  danger  was  coming.  "  My  son,"  said  he  to 
Fialan,  "  Fear  Dubh  has  a  younger  brother  more 
powerful  than  he  was;  that  brother  is  coming 
against  us  now  with  greater  forces  than  those 
which  you  have  destroyed." 

As  soon  as  Fialan  heard  these  words  he  hurried 


Fin  MacCumhail.  227 

to  the  ford,  and  waited  till  the  second  army  came 
up.  He  destroyed  this  army  as  he  had  the  other, 
and  closed  with  the  second  brother  in  a  fight 
fiercer  and  more  terrible  than  the  first ;  but  at  last 
he  thrust  him  to  his  armpits  in  the  hard  bottom 
of  the  river  and  cut  off  his  head. 

Then  he  went  to  the  castle,  and  told  his  father 
what  he  had  done.  A  third  time  Fin  chewed  his 
thumb,  and  said:  "  My  son,  a  third  army  more  to 
be  dreaded  than  the  other  two  is  coming  now  to 
destroy  us,  and  at  the  head  of  it  is  the  youngest 
brother  of  Fear  Dubh,  the  most  desperate  and 
powerful  of  the  three." 

Again  Fialan  rushed  off  to  the  ford  ;  and,  though 
the  work  was  greater  than  before,  he  left  not  a 
man  of  the  army  alive.  Then  he  closed  with  the 
youngest  brother  of  Fear  Dubh,  and  if  the  first 
and  second  battles  were  terrible  this  was  more  ter- 
rible by  far ;  but  at  last  he  planted  the  youngest 
brother  up  to  his  armpits  in  the  hard  bottom  of 
the  river,  and  swept  the  head  off  him. 

Now,  after  the  heat  and  struggle  of  combat 
Fialan  was  in  such  a  rage  that  he  lost  his  mind 
from  fury,  not  having  any  one  to  fight  against ;  and 
if  the  whole  world  had  been  there  before  him  he 
would  have  gone  through  it  and  conquered  it  all. 

But  having  no  one  to  face  him  he  rushed  along 
the  river-bank,  tearing  the  flesh  from  his  own 


228      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

body.  Never  had  such  madness  been  seen  in  any 
created  being  before  that  day. 

Diarmuid  came  now  and  knocked  at  the  door  of 
the  castle,  having  the  dog  Bran  with  him,  and 
asked  Fin  what  had  caused  him  to  raise  the  cry 
of  distress. 

"  Oh,  Diarmuid,"  said  Fin,  "  we  are  all  fastened 
in  here  to  be  killed.  Fialan  has  destroyed  three 
armies,  and  Fear  Dubh  with  his  two  brothers. 
He  is  raging  now  along  the  bank  of  the  river; 
you  must  not  go  near  him,  for  he  would  tear  you 
limb  from  limb.  At  this  moment  he  would  n't  spare 
me,  his  own  father ;  but  after  a  while  he  will  cease 
from  raging  and  die  down;  then  you  can  go. 
The  mother  of  Fear  Dubh  is  coming,  and  will 
soon  be  at  the  ford.  She  is  more  violent,  more 
venomous,  more  to  be  dreaded,  a  greater  warrior 
than  her  sons.  The  chief  weapon  she  has  are  the 
nails  on  her  ringers;  each  nail  is  seven  perches 
long,  of  the  hardest  steel  on  earth.  She  is  coming 
in  the  air  at  this  moment  with  the  speed  of  a  hawk, 
and  she  has  a  kufan  (a  small  vessel),  with  liquor 
in  it,  which  has  such  power  that  if  she  puts  three 
drops  of  it  on  the  mouths  of  her  sons  they  will  rise 
up  as  well  as  ever ;  and  if  she  brings  them  to  life 
there  is  nothing  to  save  us. 

"  Go  to  the  ford ;  she  will  be  hovering  over  the 
corpses  of  the  three  armies  to  know  can  she  find 


Fin  Mac  Cum/tail.  229 

her  sons,  and  as  soon  as  she  sees  them  she  will 
dart  down  and  give  them  the  liquor.  You  must 
rise  with  a  mighty  bound  upon  her,  dash  the 
kuran  out  of  her  hand  and  spill  the  liquor. 

"  If  you  can  kill  her  save  her  blood,  for  nothing 
in  the  world  can  free  us  from  this  place  and  open 
the  door  of  the  castle  but  the  blood  of  the  old 
hag.  I  'm  in  dread  you  '11  not  succeed,  for  she  is 
far  more  terrible  than  all  her  sons  together.  Go 
now ;  Fialan  is  dying  away,  and  the  old  woman  is 
coming;  make  no  delay." 

Diarmuid  hurried  to  the  ford,  stood  watching 
a  while ;  then  he  saw  high  in  the  air  something  no 
larger  than  a  hawk.  As  it  came  nearer  and  nearer 
he  saw  it  was  the  old  woman.  She  hovered  high 
in  the  air  over  the  ford.  At  last  she  saw  her  sons, 
and  was  swooping  down,  when  Diarmuid  rose  with 
a  bound  into  the  air  and  struck  the  vial  a  league 
out  of  her  hand. 

The  old  hag  gave  a  shriek  that  was  heard 
to  the  eastern  world,  and  screamed :  "  Who  has 
dared  to  interfere  with  me  or  my  sons?" 

"  I,"  answered  Diarmuid ;  "  and  you  '11  not  go 
further  till  I  do  to  you  what  has  been  done  to 
your  sons." 

The  fight  began ;  and  if  there  ever  was  a  fight, 
before  or  since,  it  could  not  be  more  terrible  than 
this  one ;  but  great  as  was  the  power  of  Diarmuid 


230      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

he  never  could  have  conquered  but  for  Bran  the 
dog. 

The  old  woman  with  her  nails  stripped  the  skin 
and  flesh  from  Diarmuid  almost  to  the  vitals. 
But  Bran  tore  the  skin  and  flesh  off  the  old 
woman's  back  from  her  head  to  her  heels. 

From  the  dint  of  blood-loss  and  fighting,  Diar- 
muid was  growing  faint.  Despair  came  on  him, 
and  he  was  on  the  point  of  giving  way,  when  a 
little  robin  flew  near  to  him,  and  sitting  on  a  bush, 
spoke,  saying: 

"  Oh,  Diarmuid,  take  strength ;  rise  and  sweep 
the  head  off  the  old  hag,  or  Fin  and  the  Fenians 
of  Erin  are  no  more." 

Diarmuid  took  courage,  and  with  his  last 
strength  made  one  great  effort,  swept  the  head 
off  the  old  hag  and  caught  her  blood  in  a  vessel. 
He  rubbed  some  on  his  own  wounds,  —  they  were 
cured ;  then  he  cured  Bran. 

Straightway  he  took  the  blood  to  the  castle, 
rubbed  drops  of  it  on  the  door,  which  opened,  and 
he  went  in. 

All  laughed  with  joy  at  the  rescue.  He  freed 
Fin  and  his  men  by  rubbing  the  blood  on  the 
chairs ;  but  when  he  came  as  far  as  Conan  Maol 
the  blood  gave  out. 

All  were  going  away.  "  Why  should  you  leave 
me  here  after  you ;  "  cried  Conan  Maol,  "  I  would 


Fin  MacCumhail.  231 

rather  die  at  once  than  stay  here  for  a  lingering 
death.  Why  don't  you,  Oscar,  and  you,  Gol  Mac- 
Morna,  come  and  tear  me  out  of  this  place ;  any- 
how you  '11  be  able  to  drag  the  arms  out  of  me 
and  kill  me  at  once ;  better  that  than  leave  me  to 
die  alone." 

Oscar  and  Gol  took  each  a  hand,  braced  their 
feet  against  his  feet,  put  forth  all  their  strength 
and  brought  him  standing;  but  if  they  did,  he  left 
all  the  skin  and  much  of  the  flesh  from  the  back  of 
his  head  to  his  heels  on  the  floor  behind  him.  He 
was  covered  with  blood,  and  by  all  accounts  was 
in  a  terrible  condition,  bleeding  and  wounded. 

Now  there  were  sheep  grazing  near  the  castle. 
The  Fenians  ran  out,  killed  and  skinned  the  larg- 
est and  best  of  the  flock,  and  clapped  the  fresh 
skin  on  Conan's  back ;  and  such  was  the  healing 
power  in  the  sheep,  and  the  wound  very  fresh,  that 
Conan's  back  healed,  and  he  marched  home  with 
the  rest  of  the  men,  and  soon  got  well ;  and  if  he 
did,  they  sheared  off  his  back  wool  enough  every 
year  to  make  a  pair  of  stockings  for  each  one  of 
the  Fenians  of  Erin,  and  for  Fin  himself. 

And  that  was  a  great  thing  to  do  and  useful,  for 
wool  was  scarce  in  Erin  in  those  days.  Fin  and 
his  men  lived  pleasantly  and  joyously  for  some 
time ;  and  if  they  did  n't,  may  we. 


FIN   MACCUMHAIL  AND  THE   KNIGHT 
OF   THE   FULL  AXE. 

rT"*HERE  was  a  day  when  Fin  went  on  an  ex- 
•*-  pedition  by  himself.  He  walked  out  to  his 
currochan  on  the  seashore,  gave  it  a  kick  that 
sent  it  out  nine  leagues  from  land,  then  with  a 
spring  he  jumped  into  the  boat  and  rowed  over 
the  sea. 

After  he  had  gone  some  distance  he  saw  a  giant 
coming  towards  him,  walking  through  the  water, 
which  did  not  reach  his  knees.  Looking  up,  Fin 
could  see  nothing  between  the  head  of  the  giant 
and  the  sky. 

With  one  step  the  giant  was  in  front  of  Fin, 
and  it  seemed  that  he  and  his  boat  would  be  lost 
in  a  moment  between  the  legs  of  the  terrible 
monster. 

"  Poor,  little  helpless  creature  !  what  brings  you 
here  in  my  way?"  asked  the  giant.  He  was  just 
going  to  lay  hold  of  the  boat  and  toss  it  far  off  to 
one  side,  when  Fin  called  out: 

"Won't  you  give  fair  play;  just  let  me  put 
foot  on  solid  land,  and  see  what  will  happen. 


Fin  MacCumhail.  233 

Don't  attack  me  here ;  I  'm  not  afraid  to  meet 
you  once  I  have  earth  for  my  two  feet  to  stand 
on." 

"  If  that  is  all  you  want  I  can  take  you  to  land 
very  soon."  And  seizing  the  boat  as  he  would  a 
grass-blade,  the  giant  drew  it  to  the  shore  of  the 
sea  opposite  to  that  from  which  Fin  started,  and 
in  front  of  his  own  castle. 

"  What  will  you  do  now?  "  asked  the  giant. 

"  I  '11  fight  with  you,"  said  Fin. 

The  giant  brought  out  his  battle-axe,  which 
had  a  blade  seven  acres  in  size.  Fin  was  ready 
with  his  sword,  and  now  began  a  most  terrible 
battle. 

Fin  faced  the  giant,  slashing  at  him  with  his 
sword,  and  when  the  giant  made  an  offer  of  the 
axe  at  him,  Fin  would  dart  to  one  side ;  and  when 
the  axe  missing  him  struck  the  ground,  it  went  in- 
to the  handle.  The  giant  was  a  long  time  striving 
to  know  could  he  draw  out  the  axe ;  and  while  at 
this  Fin  ran  behind  and  cut  steps  with  his  sword 
into  the  leg  of  his  enemy ;  and  by  the  time  the 
giant  had  the  axe  out  of  the  ground,  Fin  was  ready 
for  him  again  and  in  front  of  him,  striking  and  vex- 
ing him  with  his  sword.  It  was  another  long  while 
till  a  blow  came  down ;  and  when  the  axe  went 
into  the  ground  again,  Fin  ran  behind  a  second 
time,  cut  more  steps  in  the  leg  and  body  of  the 


234       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

giant,  so  as  to  reach  his  neck  and  cut  the  head 
off  him. 

When  the  axe  was  coming  to  the  ground  the 
third  time,  Fin  slipped  and  fell  under  one  corner 
of  it,  and  between  the  feet  of  the  giant,  who  closed 
his  legs  with  a  clap  that  was  heard  to  the  end  of 
the  Western  World.  He  thought  to  catch  Fin ; 
but  Fin  was  too  quick  for  him,  and  though  badly 
hurt  he  was  able  to  cut  more  steps  and  climb  to 
the  neck  of  the  giant.  With  one  blow  he  swept 
the  head  off  him,  —  and  a  big  head  it  was ;  by  all 
accounts  as  broad  as  the  moon. 

The  battle  was  fought  in  front  of  the  giant's 
castle.  Fin  was  terribly  wounded;  the  axe  had 
cut  that  deep  that  his  bowels  were  to  be  seen. 
He  dropped  at  the  side  of  the  giant,  and  lay  help- 
less on  the  ground. 

After  the  fall  of  the  giant  twelve  women  came 
out  of  his  castle,  and  when  they  drew  near 
and  saw  him  dead  they  laughed  from  joy;  but 
seeing  Fin  with  his  wound  they  began  to 
mourn. 

"  Oh,  then,"  said  Fin,  "  is  it  making  sport  of  me 
you  are  after  the  evil  day  that  I  Ve  had  ?  " 

"  Indeed  it  is  not.  We  are  twelve  daughters  of 
kings,  stolen  from  our  fathers.  We  saw  the  giant 
fall,  and  came  here  to  look  at  him  dead ;  we  grieve 
for  you  and  mourn  for  the  sorrow  that  is  on  you, 


Fin  MacCumhail.  235 

but  we  are  so  glad  the  giant  is  killed  that  we 
cannot  help  laughing." 

"  Well,"  said  Fin,  "  if  you  mourn  for  me  and 
are  glad  that  I  have  killed  the  giant,  will  you  carry 
me  to  my  currochan,  lay  me  in  it,  and  push  it  out 
to  sea?  The  waves  may  bear  me  home,  and  I 
care  for  nothing  else  if  only  one  day  my  bones 
may  come  to  land  in  Erin." 

The  twelve  women  took  him  up  carefully  and 
put  him  in  the  boat,  and  when  the  tide  came  they 
pushed  it  out  to  sea. 

Fin  lay  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  barely  alive. 
It  floated  along,  and  he  was  borne  over  the  waves. 
Hither  and  thither  went  the  boat,  till  at  last  one 
day  a  blackbird  came  down  on  the  body  of  Fin 
MacCumhail,  and  began  to  pick  at  his  entrails. 
The  blackbird  said : 

"  Many  a  long  day  have  I  watched  and  waited 
for  this  chance,  and  glad  am  I  to  have  it  now." 

That  moment  the  blackbird  turned  into  a  lit- 
tle man  not  more  than'  three  feet  high.  Then  he 
said  :  "  I  was  under  a  Druidic  spell,  to  be  a  black- 
bird till  I  should  get  three  bites  of  fat  from  the 
entrails  of  Fin  MacCumhail.  I  have  followed  you 
(everywhere;  have  watched  you  in  battle  and  hunt, 
on  sea  and  land,  but  never  have  I  been  able  to 
get  the  chance  till  this  day.  Now  I  have  it,  I 
have  also  the  power  to  make  you  well  again." 


236      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

He  put  Fin's  entrails  into  their  proper  place, 
rubbed  him  with  an  ointment  that  he  had,  and 
Fin  was  well  as  ever. 

The  little  man,  who  said  his  name  was  Ridiri 
na  Ian  tur  (Knight  of  the  Full  Axe)  had  a  small 
axe,  his  only  weapon.  As  they  floated  along  he 
said  to  Fin :  "  I  wish  to  show  you  some  strange 
things,  such  as  you  have  never  seen  in  Erin. 
We  are  near  a  country  where  the  king's  daughter 
is  to  be  married  to-night.  We  will  prevent  the 
ceremony." 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Fin,  "  I  would  rather  go  to  my 
own  home." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  the  little  man,  "  nothing 
can  harm  you  in  my  company;  come  with  me. 
This  is  a  wonderful  king,  and  he  has  a  wonderful 
daughter.  It's  a  strange  country,  and  I  want  to 
show  you  the  place.  We  '11  tell  him  that  you  are 
Fin  MacCumhail,  monarch  of  Erin ;  that  we  have 
been  shipwrecked,  and  ask  for  a  night's  shelter." 

Fin  consented  at  last,  and  with  the  Knight  of 
the  Full  Axe  landed,  drew  the  boat  on  shore,  and 
went  to  the  king's  castle.  There  was  noise  and 
tumult;  great  crowds  of  people  had  come  to  do 
honor  to  the  king's  daughter.  Never  before  had 
such  preparations  been  made  in  that  kingdom. 

The  Knight  of  the  Full  Axe  knocked  at  the 
door,  and  asked  admission  for  himself  and  Fin 


Fin  MacCumhail.  237 

MacCumhail,  monarch  of  Erin,  shipwrecked  on 
that  shore.  (The  country  was  north  of  Erin,  far 
out  in  the  sea.) 

The  attendants  said :  "  No  strangers  may  enter 
here,  but  there  is  a  great  house  further  on;  go 
there  and  welcome." 

The  house  to  which  they  were  directed  was 
twenty-one  miles  long,  ten  miles  wide,  and  about 
five  miles  distant  from  the  castle ;  inhabited  by  the 
strangest  men  in  the  world,  body-guards  of  the  king, 
fed  from  the  king's  house,  and  a  terrible  feeding  it 
was,  —  human  flesh.  All  strangers  who  came  to 
the  king's  castle  were  sent  to  that  house,  where  the 
guards  tore  them  to  pieces  and  ate  them  up. 

These  guards  had  to  be  fed  well;  if  not  they 
would  devour  the  whole  country. 

With  Fin  and  the  Knight  of  the  Full  Axe  there 
went  a  messenger,  who  was  careful  not  to  go  near 
the  house ;  he  pointed  it  out  from  a  distance,  and 
ran  home. 

Fin  and  the  knight  knocked  at  the  door.  When 
it  was  opened  all  inside  laughed;  as  they  laughed, 
Fin  could  see  their  hearts  and  livers  they  were  so 
glad.  The  Knight  of  the  Full  Axe  asked,  "  Why 
do  you  laugh  in  this  way?  " 

"  Oh,"  answered  they,  "  we  laugh  because  you 
are  so  small  you  '11  not  make  a  mouthful  for  one 
of  us." 


238      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

The  guards  barred  the  door  and  put  a  prop 
against  it.  Now  the  knight  put  a  second  prop 
against  the  door ;  the  guards  asked,  "  Why  do  you 
do  that?  " 

"  I  do  it  so  none  of  you  may  escape  me,"  an- 
swered the  knight.  Then  seizing  two  of  the 
largest  of  the  guards,  one  in  each  hand,  he  used 
them  as  clubs  and  killed  the  others  with  them. 
He  ran  the  length  of  the  house,  striking  right  and 
left,  till  he  walloped  the  life  out  of  all.  that  was  in 
it,  but  the  two.  To  them  he  said :  "  I  spare  you 
to  clean  out  the  house,  and  make  the  place  fit 
for  the  monarch  of  Erin  to  spend  the  night  in. 
Bring  rushes,  and  make  ready  to  receive  Fin 
MacCumhail." 

And  from  wherever  they  got  them,  they  brought 
two  baskets  of  rushes,  each  basket  as  big  as  a 
mountain,  and  spread  litter  on  the  ground  two  feet 
deep  through  the  whole  house;  and  then  at  the 
knight's  command  they  brought  a  pile  of  turf, 
and  made  a  grand  fire. 

Late  in  the  evening  the  king's  attendants  brought 
food,  which  they  left  near  the  house  of  the  guards ; 
these  monsters  were  fed  twice  a  day,  morning  and 
evening.  To  their  great  surprise  the  attendants 
saw  the  bodies  of  the  dead  giants  piled  up  outside 
the  house ;  they  ran  off  quickly  to  tell  the  news. 

Now  the  Knight  of  the  Full  Axe  sat  by  the  fire 


Fin  MacCumhail.  239 

The  two  guards  that  he  had  spared  tried  to  chat 
and  be  agreeable ;  but  the  knight  snapped  at  them 
and  said :  "  What  company  are  you  for  the  mon- 
arch of  Erin  ?  "  Then  he  caught  the  two,  squeezed 
the  life  out  of  them,  and  threw  them  on  the  pile 
outside. 

"  Now,"  said  the  knight  to  Fin,  "  there  is  no 
suitable  food  for  you ;  I  must  get  you  something 
good  to  eat  from  the  castle." 

So  off  he  started,  reached  the  castle  quickly, 
knocked  at  the  door,  and  demanded  the  best  of 
food,  saying,  "  'T  is  fine  treatment  you  are  giving 
the  monarch  of  Erin  to-night !  " 

They  trembled  at  the  voice  of  the  little  man, 
and  without  words  or  delay  gave  him  the  best 
they  had  in  the  castle.  He  carried  it  back  and 
placed  it  before  Fin.  "  Now,"  said  he,  "  they 
have  given  us  no  wine;  we  must  have  wine,  and 
that  of  the  best." 

"  Oh,  we  have  no  need  of  wine !  "  said  Fin ; 
but  off  went  the  knight. 

Again  he  demanded  supplies  at  the  castle.  He 
took  a  hogshead  of  the  best  wine,  threw  it  over 
his  shoulder,  and,  as  he  hurried  out,  he  struck  a 
jamb  off  the  door  and  swept  it  along  with  the 
hogshead. 

"Now,"  said  the  knight,  after  they  had  eaten 
and  drunk,  "  't  is  too  bad  for  the  monarch  of  Erin 


240      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

to  sleep  on  rushes ;  he  should  have  the  best  bed 
in  the  land." 

"  Oh,  trouble  yourself  no  further,"  said  Fin ; 
"  better  sleep  on  rushes  than  all  this  noise." 

But  the  knight  would  listen  to  nothing;  away 
he  went  to  the  castle,  and  shouted :  "  Give  me  the 
best  bed  in  this  place !  I  want  it  for  Fin  Mac- 
Cumhail,  the  monarch  of  Erin." 

They  gave  him  the  bed  in  a  moment.  With 
hurried  steps  he  was  back,  and  said  to  Fin :  "  Rest 
on  this  bed.  Now  I  '11  stop  the  wedding  of  the 
princess ;  you  may  take  her  to  Erin  if  you  like." 

"  Oh,  that  would  not  be  right !  I  am  well  as  I 
am,"  said  Fin,  who  was  getting  in  dread  of  the 
knight  himself. 

"  No,  you  'd  better  have  the  princess,"  and  off 
rushed  the  knight.  He  entered  the  castle.  All 
were  in  terror ;  hither  and  thither  they  hurried,  not 
knowing  what  to  do.  The  Knight  of  the  Full 
Axe  seized  the  princess.  "  The  monarch  of  Erin 
is  a  better  man  than  your  bridegroom,"  said  he ; 
and  clapping  her  under  his  arm,  away  he  went. 
Not  a  man  had  the  courage  to  stir. 

All  was  confusion  and  fear  in  the  king's  castle. 
The  princess  was  gone  and  no  one  could  save  her. 
All  were  in  terrible  dread,  knowing  what  had  been 
done  at  the  long  house. 

At  last  an  old  hag,  one  of  the  queen's  waiting- 


Fin  MacCumhail,  241 

women,  said :  "  I  '11  go  and  see  what  has  become 
of  the  princess.  I  '11  go  on  the  chimney  and  look 
down." 

Off  ran  the  hag,  and  never  rested  till  she  was  on 
the  top  of  the  chimney,  sticking  down  her  head  to 
know  what  could  she  see.  The  chimney  was  wide, 
for  the  king's  guards  had  cooked  all  their  food 
below  on  the  fire.  The  Knight  of  the  Full  Axe 
was  looking  up  at  the  time  and  saw  the  two  eyes 
staring  down  at  him. 

"  Go  on  out  of  that,"  cried  he,  flinging  his  axe ; 
which  stuck  in  the  old  woman's  forehead.  Off  she 
rushed  to  the  castle.  She  had  seen  nothing  of 
the  princess;  all  she  knew  was  that  a  little  man 
was  sitting  by  the  fire  warming  himself,  that  he 
had  thrown  his  axe  at  her,  and  it  had  stuck  in 
her  forehead. 

At  daylight  the  knight  spoke  to  Fin,  who  rose 
at  once.  "  Now,"  said  he,  "  I  have  no  strength 
left;  all  my  strength  is  in  the  axe.  While  I  had 
that  I  could  do  anything,  now  I  can  do  nothing. 
We  are  in  great  danger ;  but  there  is  such  dread  of 
us  on  the  people  here  that  we  may  mend  matters 
yet.  Do  you  put  on  the  dress  of  a  leech,  get  herbs 
and  vials,  and  pretend  you  have  great  skill  in  heal- 
ing. Go  to  the  castle,  and  say  you  can  take  the 
axe  out  of  the  old  hag's  head.  No  man  there  can 
do  that  without  killing  her;  she  will  die  the  minute 

16 


242      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

it  is  drawn.  Get  at  her,  seize  the  axe,  pull  it  out, 
and  with  it  you  will  have  the  greatest  power  on 
earth." 

Fin  went  to  the  castle,  and  said :  "  I  am  a  great 
doctor.  I  can  take  the  axe  out  of  the  old  woman's 
head  without  trouble." 

They  took  him  to  the  hag,  who  was  sitting  up- 
right in  bed ;  her  head  was  so  sore  she  could  n't  lie 
down.  He  felt  her  head  around  the  axe,  sent  the 
people  away ;  when  they  were  gone  he  took  hold 
of  the  handle.  With  one  snap  he  made  two  halves 
of  the  old  woman's  head. 

Fin  ran  out  with  the  axe,  leaving  the  old  hag 
dead  behind  him.  He  never  stopped  till  he  came 
where  he  had  left  the  knight. 

Fin  MacCumhail  was  now  the  strongest  man  on 
earth,  and  the  knight  the  weakest.  "  You  may 
keep  the  axe,"  said  the  little  man;  "I  shall  not 
envy  you,  but  will  go  with  you  and  you  will 
protect  me." 

"  No,"  said  Fin,  "  it  shall  never  be  said  that  I 
took  the  axe  from  you,  though  I  know  its  value 
and  feel  its  power." 

The  knight  was  glad  to  get  back  his  axe,  and 
now  the  two  set  out  for  Erin.  Fin  kicked  the 
boat  three  leagues  from  land,  and  with  a  bound 
they  both  came  down  in  it,  and  floated  on  till  they 
saw  the  coast  of  Erin.  Then  the  little  man  said : 


Fin  MacCumhaiL  243 

"  I  must  leave  you  now.  Though  of  your  kin, 
I  cannot  land  in  Erin.  But  if  you  need  me  at 
any  time  you  have  only  to  look  over  your  right 
shoulder,  call  my  name,  and  you  will  see  me 
before  you." 

Now  Fin  sprang  ashore;  he  had  been  absent 
a  year  and  more,  and  no  man  knew  where  he  was 
while  gone.  All  thought  him  lost.  Great  was  the 
gladness  when  Fin  came  home,  and  told  the 
Fenians  of  Erin  of  what  he  had  seen  and  what 
he  had  done. 


GILLA   NA   GRAKIN    AND   FIN   MAC- 
CUMHAIL. 

r  I  ""HERE  was  a  blacksmith  in  Dun  Kinealy  be- 

•*•  yond  Killybegs,  and  he  had  two  young  men 
serving  him  whose  names  were  Ce"sa  MacRi  na 
Tulach  and  Lun  Dubh  MacSmola. 

When  their  time  was  up  the  young  men  settled 
with  the  blacksmith  and  took  their  pay  of  him. 
After  they  had  eaten  breakfast  in  the  morning 
they  went  away  together. 

When  they  had  gone  some  distance  from  the 
house  they  changed  their  gait,  so  that  when  they 
took  one  step  forward  they  took  two  backwards ; 
and  when  evening  came  they  were  not  five  perches 
away  from  the  house  where  they  had  eaten  break- 
fast in  the  morning. 

Then  one  said  to  the  other :  "  I  suppose  what 
is  on  one  of  us  is  on  the  other." 

"  What 's  that?  "  asked  the  first. 

"  We  are  both  in  love  with  Sce"hide  ni  Wan- 
anan." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  the  other,  "  we  are  both  in 
love  with  the  blacksmith's  maid." 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhail.    245 

When  this  was  said  they  turned  and  went  back 
to  the  house.  The  blacksmith  welcomed  them, 
and  was  glad. 

"You  need  not  welcome  us,"  said  they;  "we 
have  not  come  back  to  you  to  seek  hire ;  but  we 
are  both  in  love  with  Sce*hide  ni  Wananan,  and 
you  '11  have  to  settle  the  matter  for  us." 

"  Well,"  said  the  blacksmith,  "  I  can  do  that. 
We  '11  open  the  two  doors  of  the  forge,  and  let  you 
and  the  maiden  go  in  and  stand  in  the  middle 
of  the  place.  Then  do  you  two  go  out,  one  at 
each  door,  and  the  man  she  '11  follow  will  have 
her." 

The  three  came  in,  —  one  man  went  out  at  each 
door  of  the  forge ;  Scehide  followed  Lun  Dubh. 

When  he  saw  this  Cesa  spoke  up,  and  said: 
"  I  'm  willing  to  leave  her  with  you ;  but  turn  back 
a  moment  here  to  me,  for  the  word  that  '11  be 
between  us." 

Lun  Dubh  turned  back  into  the  forge,  and  Ce"sa 
said:  "  Put  your  finger  on  this  anvil." 

Lun  Dubh  put  his  finger  on  the  anvil.  Ce"sa, 
catching  up  a  good  spike,  which  the  old  black- 
smith had  made,  and  a  hammer  drove  the  spike 
through  the  finger  of  Lun  Dubh,  fastening  him  to 
the  anvil. 

"  Now,"  said  Lun  Dubh  to  Ce"sa ;  "  let  me  go  free, 
and  do  you  take  Sc6hide ;  but  I  must  have  the  first 


246       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland, 

blow  on  you  in  battle  or  war,  or  wherever  else  I 
meet  you  in  the  world." 

"  I  will  give  you  that,"  said  Cesa.  So  he  freed 
his  comrade  from  the  anvil.  The  young  men 
parted  from  each  other,  —  Lun  Dubh  went  one 
way  alone,  and  Cesa  another  with  Scehide  ni 
Wananan. 

As  Cesa  went  along  he  bought  a  skin  at  every 
house  where  he  could  find  one,  until  he  had  enough 
to  make  clothes  in  which  to  disguise  himself;  for 
he  was  in  dread  of  Lun  Dubh,  on  account  of  the 
first  blow  which  he  had  the  right  to  strike  when 
they  met. 

He  put  on  the  skin  clothes,  and  changed  his 
name  to  Gilla  na  Grakin  (the  fellow  of  the  skins). 

Gilla  and  his  wife  held  on  their  way  till  they 
came  to  the  castle  of  Fin  MacCumhail;  and  the 
time  they  came  there  was  no  one  in  the  place  but 
women. 

"  Where  is  Fin  MacCumhail  with  his  men 
to-day?"  asked  Gilla  na  Grakin. 

"  They  are  all  out  hunting,"  said  the  women. 

Now  Gilla  saw  that  the  castle  stood  with  open 
door  facing  the  wind,  and  turning  again  to  the 
women  he  asked :  "  Why  do  you  have  the  door  of 
the  castle  to  the  wind?  " 

"When  Fin  and  his  men  are  at  home  and  the 
wind  comes  in  at  the  door,  they  all  go  out,  take 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhail.    247 

hold  of  the  castle  and  turn  it  around  till  the  door 
is  on  the  sheltered  side." 

When  Gilla  na  Grakin  heard  this  he  went  out, 
put  his  hands  to  the  castle,  and  turned  it  around 
till  the  door  was  on  the  sheltered  side. 

In  the  evening  when  Fin  and  the  Fenians  of 
Erin  were  coming  from  the  hunt,  they  saw  the 
castle  turned  around,  and  Fin  said  to  the  men : 
"  I  'm  afraid  we  have  n't  half  enough  of  game  for 
the  supper  of  the  strangers  who  have  come  to  visit 
us  to-day,  there  are  so  many  of  them  that  they 
have  turned  the  castle  around." 

When  they  came  home  they  saw  there  was  no 
man  there  but  Gilla  na  Grakin,  and  they  wondered 
at  the  work  he  had  done. 

Gilla  stood  before  Fin,  and  said :  "  Do  you  want 
a  serving  man?  " 

"  I  do  indeed,"  said  Fin. 

"  What  wages  will  you  give  me  for  a  year  and  a 
day?  "  asked  Gilla. 

"  What  yourself  will  ask,"  replied  Fin. 

"  I  wont  ask  much,"  said  Gilla;  "  five  pounds  for 
myself,  and  a  room  in  the  castle  for  my  wife." 

"  You  shall  have  both,"  said  Fin. 

"  I'm  your  man  now,"  said  Gilla. 

The  whole  company  spent  the  first  part  of  that 
night  in  ease,  the  second  in  sport,  and  the  third  in 
a  short  sleep. 


248      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

The  next  morning  all  the  Fenians  of  Erin  were 
going  to  hunt,  as  the  day  before,  and  Fin  said  to 
Gilla  na  Grakin :  "  Will  you  take  any  man  to  help 
you?" 

"  I  '11  take  no  man  with  me  but  myself;  and  do 
you  let  me  go  in  one  part  of  the  country  alone, 
and  go  yourself  with  all  your  men  in  another 
part." 

"  Well,"  said  Fin,"  will  you  find  dry  glens  of 
ridges,  or  go  in  deep  boggy  places  where  there  is 
danger  of  drowning?  " 

"  I  will  go  in  deep  boggy  places." 

All  left  the  castle  to  hunt.  Fin  and  the  Fenians 
of  Erin  went  in  one  direction,  and  Gilla  na  Grakin 
in  another,  and  hunted  all  day. 

When  they  came  home  in  the  evening  Gilla  na 
Grakin  had  a  thousand  times  more  game  than  Fin 
and  all  his  men  together. 

When  Fin  saw  this  he  was  glad  to  have  such  a 
good  man,  and  was  pleased  beyond  measure  with 
Gilla  na  Grakin.  The  whole  company  spent  that 
night  as  they  had  the  night  before,  —  in  ease  and 
sport  and  sleep. 

Next  day  Conan  Maol  was  outside  with  Fin,  and 
he  said :  "  Gilla  na  Grakin  will  destroy  the  Fenians 
of  Erin  and  put  you  and  all  of  us  to  death,  unless 
you  banish  him  in  some  way  from  this  castle." 

"  Well,"  said  Fin  to  Conan  Maol,  "  I  've  never  had 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhail.     249 

a  good  man  but  you  wanted  me  to  put  him  away. 
And  how  could  I  banish  such  a  man  as  this  if  I 
tried?" 

"  The  way  to  banish  him,"  said  Conan  Maol,  "  is 
to  send  him  to  the  king  of  Lochlin  to  take  from  him 
the  pot  of  plenty  that 's  never  without  meat,  but 
has  always  enough  in  it  to  feed  the  whole  world, 
and  bring  that  pot  to  this  castle." 

Fin  called  Gilla  na  Grakin,  and  said :  "You  '11 
have  to  go  for  me  now  to  the  king  of  Lochlin,  and 
get  from  him  the  pot  of  plenty  that  is  never  with- 
out meat,  and  bring  it  here  to  me." 

"  Well,"  said  Gilla,  "  as  long  as  I  'm  in  your  ser- 
vice I  can 't  refuse  to  do  your  work." 

So  away  went  Gilla.  He  took  a  glen  at  a  step 
and  a  hill  at  a  leap  till  he  came  to  the  shore  of  the 
sea,  where  he  caught  up  two  sticks,  put  one  across 
the  other,  then  gave  them  a  tip  of  the  hand,  and 
a  fine  vessel  rose  out  of  the  two  pieces  of  wood. 

Gilla  na  Grakin  went  on  board  the  vessel,  hoisted 
the  sails,  and  off  he  went  in  a  straight  line.  The 
music  he  heard  on  his  way  was  the  whistling  of 
eels  in  the  sea  and  the  calling  of  gulls  in  the  air, 
till  he  came  under  the  king's  castle  in  Lochlin. 
When  he  came,  there  were  hundreds  of  ships 
standing  near  the  shore,  and  he  had  to  anchor 
outside  them  all ;  then  he  stepped  from  ship  to  ship 
till  he  stood  on  land. 


250      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

What  should  there  be  at  the  time  he  landed  but 
a  great  feast  in  the  castle  of  the  king.  So  Gilla 
went  to  the  front  of  the  castle  and  stood  outside 
at  the  door;  but  he  could  go  no  further  for  the 
crowd,  and  no  one  looked  at  him.  At  last  he 
shouted :  "  This  is  a  very  hospitable  feast,  and  you 
are  a  people  of  fine  manners  not  to  ask  a  stranger 
is  he  hungry  or  thirsty." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  the  king,  who  turned  to 
the  people  and  said :  "  Give  the  pot  of  plenty  to 
the  stranger  till  he  eats  his  fill." 

The  people  obeyed  the  king,  and  when  Gilla  na 
Grakin  got  hold  of  the  pot  he  made  for  the  ship, 
and  never  stopped  till  he  was  on  board.  He  put 
the  pot  in  a  safe  place  below.  Then  standing  on 
deck  he  said  to  himself:  "  It  is  no  use  to  take 
the  pot  by  my  swiftness  unless  I  take  it  by  my 
strength." 

So  he  turned  and  went  to  land  again.  All  the 
heroes  and  champions  of  the  king  of  Lochlin  and 
his  whole  army  were  ready  to  fight,  but  if  they 
were  so  was  Gilla  na  Grakin. 

When  he  came  up  to  the  army  he  began  and 
went  through  it  as  a  hawk  goes  through  a  flock  of 
swallows,  till  he  made  one  heap  of  their  heads 
and  another  heap  of  their  weapons.  Then  he  went 
to  the  castle,  caught  the  king  in  one  hand  and  the 
queen  in  the  other,  and  putting  them  under  his 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhaiL     251 


two  arms  brought  them  out  in  front  of  the  castle 
and  killed  each  with  the  other. 

All  was  quiet  and  still  at  the  castle.  There 
wasn't  a  man  alive  to  stand  up  against  Gilla  na 
Grakin,  who  went  to  his  ship,  raised  the  sails,  and 
started  for  Erin.  All  he  heard  was  the  spouting  of 
whales,  the  whistling  of  eels,  the  calling  of  gulls, 
and  the  roar  of  the  wind,  as  the  ship  rushed  back 
to  the  place  where  he  had  made  it  in  Erin.  When 
he  reached  that  place  he  gave  the  ship  a  tip  of  his 
hand,  and  there  before  him  was  the  pot  of  plenty, 
and  with  it  the  two  sticks  which  he  had  found  on 
the  shore  of  the  sea  when  he  was  going  to  the 
castle  of  the  king  of  Lochlin. 

He  left  the  sticks  where  he  found  them,  put  the 
pot  on  his  back,  and  hurried  away  to  the  castle  of 
Fin  MacCumhail. 

Fin  and  all  the  Fenians  of  Erin  were  glad  to  see 
Gilla  na  Grakin,  and  Fin  thanked  him  for  the  work 
he  had  done. 

The  first  part  of  that  night  they  spent  in  ease, 
the  second  in  sport,  the  third  in  a  hurried  sleep. 

Next  morning  they  rose  and  had  breakfast  from 
the  pot.  From  that  day  out  they  hunted  for 
pleasure  alone.  They  had  enough  and  to  spare 
from  the  pot  of  plenty. 

Another  day  Conan  Maol  was  outside  the  castle 
with  Fin,  and  he  said:  "Gilla  na  Grakin  will 


252       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

destroy  you  and  me  and  all  of  us  unless  we  find 
some  way  of  putting  him  to  death." 

"What  do  you  want  him  to  do  now?"  asked 
Fin. 

"  Let  him  go,"  said  Conan  Maol,  to  the  king  of 
the  Flood,  "  and  bring  back  the  cup  that  is  never 
drained." 

Fin  went  to  the  castle  and  called  up  Gilla  na 
Grakin.  "  I  want  you  to  go  now,"  said  he, "  to  the 
king  of  the  Flood,  and  bring  me  his  cup  that  is 
never  dry." 

When  he  heard  Fin's  words,  Gilla  went  off  without 
delay ;  he  took  a  glen  at  a  step,  and  a  hill  at  a  leap, 
till  he  came  to  the  sea.  There  he  took  up  two 
sticks  of  wood,  threw  one  across  the  other,  and 
they  became  a  fine  large  ship. 

Away  he  sailed  in  a  straight  line,  listening  as  he 
went  to  the  spouting  of  whales,  the  whistling  of 
eels  and  the  calling  of  gulls,  and  never  stopped 
till  he  anchored  outside  the  castle  of  the  king 
of  the  Flood.  There  was  many  a  ship  at  land 
before  him,  so  he  stopped  outside  them  all,  and 
stepped  from  ship  to  ship  till  he  reached  the 
shore. 

The  king  of  the  Flood  was  giving  a  great  feast 
that  day.  Gilla  na  Grakin  went  to  the  castle,  but 
could  not  enter,  so  great  was  the  throng.  He 
stood  at  the  door  a  while,  and  then  called  out,  "  You 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhaiL     253 

are  an  ill-mannered  people,  not  to  ask  a  stranger  is 
he  hungry  or  dry !  " 

The  king  heard  these  words,  and  said,  "  You  are 
right ;  "  and  turning  to  his  people  said,  "  Give  this 
stranger  the  cup  till  he  drinks  his  fill." 

As  soon  as  ever  Gilla  got  the  cup  in  his  hands, 
he  made  for  the  ship  and  never  stopped  till  he  put 
the  cup  in  the  hold  of  the  vessel.  Then  he  came 
on  deck,  and  thought,  "  It 's  no  use  to  take  the  cup 
with  my  swiftness,  unless  I  take  it  with  my 
strength." 

So  back  he  turned  to  the  castle,  and  when  he 
reached  land,  the  whole  army  and  all  the  cham- 
pions of  the  king  of  the  Flood  stood  ready  to 
oppose  him.  When  he  came  up,  he  went  through 
them  as  a  hawk  through  a  flock  of  swallows.  He 
made  a  heap  of  their  heads  in  one  place,  and  a 
heap  of  their  weapons  in  another,  and  then  went 
back  to  the  ship  without  thinking  of  the  king  and 
the  queen  of  the  Flood  —  forgot  them. 

He  raised  his  sails  and  went  away,  listening  to 
music  on  the  sea  till  he  touched  land  in  Erin. 
Then  he  took  the  cup  in  one  hand,  struck  the 
ship  with  the  other,  turned  it  into  the  two  sticks 
which  he  had  found  on  the  shore,  and  travelled 
on  till  he  came  to  the  castle  of  Fin  MacCumhail 
and  gave  up  the  cup. 

"  You  're  the  best  man  I  have  ever  had,"  said 


254      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Fin ;  "  and  I  give  you  my  thanks  and  praise  for 
the  work  you  have  done." 

In  the  castle  they  spent  the  first  part  of  that 
night  in  ease,  the  second  in  sport,  and  the  third  in 
a  hurried  sleep. 

Next  morning  said  Fin  to  the  Fenians  of  Erin, 
"  We  need  n't  leave  the  house  now  unless  we  like. 
We  have  the  best  of  eating  from  the  pot,  and  the 
best  of  drinking  from  the  cup.  The  one  is  never 
empty,  and  the  other  is  never  dry,  and  we  '11  go 
hunting  in  future  only  to  pass  the  time  for  our- 
selves." 

One  day  Conan  Maol  was  out  with  Fin  a  third 
time,  and  said  he :  "  If  we  don't  find  some  way  to 
kill  Gilla  na  Grakin,  he  '11  destroy  you  and  me, 
and  all  the  Fenians  of  Erin." 

"  Well,"  asked  Fin,  "  where  do  you  want  to  send 
him  this  time." 

"  I  want  him  to  go  to  the  eastern  world,  and  find 
out  what  was  it  that  left  the  Gruagach  with  but  the 
one  hair  on  his  head." 

Fin  went  to  the  castle,  called  up  Gilla  na  Grakin, 
and  said: 

"  You  must  go  for  me  now  to  the  eastern  world, 
to  know  what  was  it  that  left  the  Gruagach  with 
the  one  hair  on  his  head." 

"  Well,"  said  Gilla,  "  I  never  knew  that  you 
wanted  to  put  me  to  death  till  this  minute ;  I  know 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhaiL     255 

it  now.  But  still  so  long  as  I  'm  in  your  service  I 
can't  refuse  to  do  your  work." 

Then  Gilla  na  Grakin  stepped  out  of  the  castle 
door,  and  away  he  went  to  the  eastern  world.  He 
took  a  glen  at  a  step,  a  hill  at  a  leap,  and  lochs 
and  seas  at  a  bound  till  he  entered  the  Gruagach's 
house  in  the  eastern  world. 

"  What  is  your  errand  to  me,"  asked  the  Grua- 
gach,  "  and  why  have  you  come  to  my  house?  " 

"  I  have  come,"  said  Gilla,  "  to  know  what  was 
it  that  left  you  with  the  one  hair  on  your 
head." 

"  Sit  down  here  and  rest  yourself  to-night,  and 
if  you  are  a  good  man,  I  '11  tell  you  to-morrow," 
said  the  Gruagach. 

When  bedtime  came  the  Gruagach  said  :  "  There 
is  an  iron  harrow  there  beyond,  with  teeth  on  both 
sides  of  it;  go  now  and  stretch  yourself  on  that 
harrow,  and  sleep  till  morning." 

When  daylight  came,  the  Gruagach  was  on  his 
feet,  and  asked  Gilla  was  he  up. 

"  I  am,"  said  he. 

After  they  had  eaten  breakfast,  the  Gruagach 
went  to  another  room  and  brought  out  two  iron 
loops.  One  of  these  he  put  on  Gilla's  neck,  and  the 
other  on  his  own,  and  then  they  began  to  jerk  the 
loops  and  pull  one  another  and  they  fought  till 
late  in  the  afternoon ;  neither  had  the  upper  hand, 


256      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

but  if  one  man  was  weaker  than  the  other,  that 
man  was  Gilla  na  Grakin. 

"  And  now,"  thought  he  to  himself,  "the  Grua- 
gach  will  take  my  life,  and  my  wife  will  never  know 
what  became  of  me."  The  thought  gave  him 
strength  and  power,  so  up  he  sprang,  and  with  the 
first  pull  he  gave  he  put  the  Gruagach  to  his  knees 
in  the  ground,  with  the  second  he  put  him  to  his 
waist,  with  the  third  to  his  shoulders. 

"  Indeed,"  said  Gilla,  "  it  would  be  easier  for  me 
to  strike  the  head  off  you  now,  than  to  let  you  go ; 
but  if  I  took  your  head  I  should  n't  have  my 
master's  work  done." 

"  If  you  let  me  go,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "  I  '11 
tell  you  what  happened  to  me,  and  why  I  have  but 
the  one  hair  on  my  head." 

Gilla  set  him  free,  then  the  two  sat  down  to- 
gether, and  the  Gruagach  began :  — 

"  I  was  living  here,  without  trouble  or  annoy- 
ance from  any  man,  till  one  day  a  hare  ran  in, 
made  an  unseemly  noise  under  that  table  there, 
and  insulted  us.  I  was  here  myself  at  the  time  with 
my  wife  and  my  son  and  my  daughter;  and  we 
had  a  hound,  a  beagle,  and  a  black  horse. 

"  The  hare  ran  out  from  under  the  table,  and  I 
made  after  the  hare,  and  my  wife  and  son  and 
daughter,  with  the  horse  and  the  two  dogs,  followed 
me. 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhaiL     257 

"  When  the  hare  was  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  I  had 
almost  hold  of  his  hind  legs,  but  I  never  caught 
him. 

"  When  night  was  near,  the  hare  came  to  the 
walls  of  a  great  castle,  and  as  he  was  jumping  over, 
I  hit  him  a  blow  on  the  hind  leg  with  a  stick,  but 
in  he  went  to  the  castle. 

"  Out  came  an  old  hag,  and  screamed,  '  Who  is 
it  that  worried  the  pet  of  this  castle  !  ' 

"  I  said  it  was  myself  that  did  it.  Then  she  faced 
me,  and  made  at  me  and  the  fight  began  between 
us.  We  fought  all  that  night,  and  the  next  day  till 
near  evening.  Then  she  turned  around  and  pulled 
a  Druidic  rod  out  of  herself,  ran  from  me  and  struck 
my  wife  and  son  and  daughter  and  the  two  hounds 
and  the  horse  with  the  Druidic  rod  and  made  stones 
of  them. 

"  Then  she  turned  on  me  again  and  there  was  n't 
but  the  one  hair  left  on  my  head  from  the  desperate 
fighting,  and  she  looked  at  me,  and  said : 

"  'I'll  let  you  go  this  time  but  I'll  give  you  a 
good  payment  before  you  leave.'  She  caught  hold 
of  me  then  in  the  grip  of  her  one  hand  and  with 
the  other  she  took  a  sharp  knife  and  stripped  all 
the  skin  and  flesh  off  my  back,  from  my  waist  to 
my  heels.  Then,  taking  the  skin  of  a  rough 
shaggy  goat,  she  clapped  it  on  to  me  in  place  of 
my  own  skin  and  flesh,  and  told  me  to  go  my  way. 

17 


258       Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  I  left  the  old  hag  and  the  castle  behind,  but  the 
skin  grew  to  me  and  I  wear  it  to  this  day."  And 
here  the  Gruagach  turned  to  Gilla  na  Grakin  and 
showed  him  the  goatskin  growing  on  his  body  in 
place  of  his  own  skin  and  flesh. 

"  Well,"  said  Gilla,  when  he  saw  the  shaggy  back 
of  the  Gruagach,  "  does  that  hare  come  here  to 
insult  you  yet?  " 

"  He  does,  indeed,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "  but  I 
have  n't  taken  a  bite  nor  a  sup  off  that  table  since 
his  first  visit." 

"  Let  us  sit  down  there  now,"  said  Gilla  na 
Grakin. 

They  sat  down  at  the  table,  but  they  were  not 
sitting  long  till  the  hare  came,  repeated  the  insult, 
and  ran  out. 

Gilla  na  Grakin  made  after  the  hare,  and  the 
Gruagach  after  Gilla. 

Gilla  ran  as  fast  as  ever  his  legs  could  carry  him, 
and  he  was  often  that  near  that  he  used  to  stretch 
his  arm  out  after  the  hare,  and  almost  catch  him ; 
but  he  never  touched  him  till  near  night,  when  he 
was  clearing  the  wall.  Then  Gilla  caught  him  by 
the  two  hind  legs,  and,  swinging  him  over  his  own 
shoulder,  dashed  him  against  the  wall,  tore  the 
head  from  the  body,  and  sent  it  bounding  across 
the  courtyard  of  the  castle. 

Out  rushed   an  old  hag  that  minute.     She  had 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumliaiL     259 

but  one  tooth  and  that  in  her  upper  jaw,  and  she 
used  this  tooth  for  a  crutch. 

"  Who  has  killed  the  pet  of  this  castle !  " 
shrieked  she. 

"  It  was  I  that  killed  him,"  said  Gilla  na  Grakin. 
Then  the  two  made  at  one  another,  —  the  hag 
and  Gilla.  They  fought  all  that  night  and  next 
day.  With  their  fighting  they  made  the  hard 
rocks  soft,  and  water  to  spring  out  through  the 
middle  of  them.  All  the  land  of  the  eastern 
world  was  trembling  as  the  evening  drew  near, 
and  if  one  of  the  two  was  getting  weak  from  the 
struggle  and  tired,  that  one  was  Gilla  na  Grakin. 
When  he  saw  this  he  thought  to  himself,  "  Is  n't  it 
a  pity  if  an  old  hag  puts  me  to  death,  me,  who  has 
put  to  death  many  a  strong  hero." 

At  this  thought  he  sprang  up  and  seized  the 
hag.  With  the  first  thrust  which  he  gave  her 
into  the  ground  he  put  her  to  the  knees,  with 
the  second  to  her  waist,  with  the  third  to  her 
shoulders. 

"  Now,"  said  the  old  hag  to  Gilla,  "  don't  kill  me, 
and  I  '11  give  you  the  rod  of  druidism  (enchantment), 
which  I  have  between  my  skin  and  flesh." 

"  Oh,  you  wicked  old  wretch !  I  '11  have  that 
after  your  death,  and  no  thanks  to  you,"  said  Gilla. 
With  that  he  swept  the  head  off  of  her  with  a  single 
blow. 


260      Myths  and  Fo Ik-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Then  the  head  jumped  at  the  body,  and  tried  to 
get  its  place  again,  but  Gilla  stood  between  them, 
and  kept  the  head  off  till  the  body  was  cold. 
Then  he  took  out  the  rod  of  enchantment  from 
between  the  skin  and  the  flesh,  and  threw  the  body 
and  the  head  of  the  old  hag  aside. 

The  Gruagach  came  up,  and  Gilla  said,  "  Show 
me  now  the  stones  which  were  once  your  wife  and 
children,  your  dogs  and  your  horse." 

The  Gruagach  went  with  him  to  the  stones. 
Gilla  struck  each  with  the  rod,  and  the  wife, 
the  son,  the  daughter,  the  hounds  and  the  horse  of 
the  Gruagach  were  alive  again. 

When  this  was  done,  Gilla  turned  to  the 
Gruagach,  struck  the  goatskin  from  his  body,  and 
gave  him  his  own  skin  and  flesh  back  again  with 
the  power  of  the  rod. 

When  all  were  restored,  they  started  for  the 
Gruagach's  house,  and  when  there  the  Gruagach 
said  to  Gilla  na  Grakin,  — 

"  Stay  here  with  me  till  you  get  your  rest.  We 
won't  leave  this  place  for  a  year  and  a  day,  and 
then  I  '11  go  with  you  to  the  castle  of  Fin  Mac- 
Cumhail  and  give  witness  to  Fin  of  all  that  has 
happened  to  me  and  all  you  have  done." 

"  Oh,"  said  Gilla  na  Grakin,  "  I  can't  stay  to  rest, 
I  must  go  now !  " 

The  Gruagach  was  so  glad  that  he  had  got  back 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhail.    261 

all  his  family  and  his  own  flesh  that  he  followed 
Gilla,  and  they  set  out  for  the  castle  of  Fin  Mac- 
Cumhail in  Erin. 

They  took  a  glen  at  a  step,  a  hill  at  a  leap,  and 
the  sea  at  a  bound. 

Conan  Maol,  who  was  outside  the  castle  when 
they  came  in  sight,  ran  in  and  said  to  Fin,  "  Gilla 
na  Grakin  and  the  Gruagach  are  coming,  and 
they  '11  destroy  all  that 's  about  the  castle,  and  all 
that 's  inside  as  well !  " 

"  If  they  do,"  said  Fin,  "  it 's  your  own  fault,  and 
you  have  no  one  to  blame  but  yourself." 

"Well,"  said  Conan  Maol,  "I'll  lie  down  here 
in  the  cradle,  and  put  a  steel  cap  on  my  head." 

Conan  lay  down  in  the  cradle.  Gilla  and  the 
Gruagach  came  into  the  castle.  The  Gruagach 
sat  down  near  the  cradle.  Then  he  said  to  Fin,  "  I 
came  here  with  Gilla  na  Grakin  to  bear  witness 
to  you  of  all  that  has  happened  to  me,  and  of 
all  he  has  done." 

Then  he  told  Fin  the  whole  story  of  what  they 
had  gone  through  and  what  they  had  done. 

With  that  the  Gruagach  put  his  hand  behind 
him  and  asked :  "  How  old  is  this  child  lying  here 
in  the  cradle?" 

"  Only  three  years,"  said  Fin's  wife. 

Then  the  Gruagach  took  the  steel  cap  between 
his  thumb  and  fingers,  thinking  it  was  the  head  of 


262      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

the  child,  and  squeezed  till  the  steel  cracked  with  a 
loud  snap,  but  the  child  did  n't  cry. 

"  Oh,  there  's  the  making  of  a  man  in  him.  If  he 
gets  age  he  '11  be  a  champion,"  said  the  Gruagach. 

Next  day  the  Gruagach  left  Fin's  castle  and  went 
to  his  own  place  and  family. 

Gilla  na  Grakin's  time  was  now  up,  for  he  had 
served  a  year  and  a  day. 

Fin  went  out  to  wash  himself  in  a  spring  near 
the  castle,  and  when  he  looked  into  the  spring  a 
spirit  spoke  up  out  of  the  water  to  him  and  said : 

"  You  must  give  back  his  cup  to  the  king  of 
the  Flood,  or  you  must  give  him  battle  in  its 
place." 

Fin  went  back  to  the  castle,  lamenting  the  state 
he  was  in. 

Conan  Maol  said,  "  You  look  like  a  sorrowful 
man." 

"Why  shouldn't  I  be?"  said  Fin.  "A  spirit 
spoke  to  me  from  the  spring  outside,  and  told  me 
I  must  give  back  the  cup  to  the  king  of  the  Flood, 
or  give  him  battle  in  place  of  it.  Now  Gilla's  time 
is  up,  and  I  don't  know  what  to  do." 

"Well,"  said  Conan  Maol,  "  do  you  go  now  and 
speak  to  him,  and  maybe  he  '11  do  you  a  good 
turn." 

Fin  went  to  Gilla  na  Grakin,  and  told  him  what 
happened  at  the  spring. 


Gilia  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhail.     263 

"My  time  is  up,  as  you  know,"  said  Gilla,  "  and 
I  cannot  serve  on  time  that  is  past;  but  if  you 
want  me  to  go,  you  must  watch  my  wife  Scehide  ni 
Wananan  on  Friday  night;  and  in  the  middle  of 
the  night,  when  she  is  combing  her  hair,  any  re- 
quest you  '11  make  of  her  she  can't  refuse.  The 
request  you  '11  make  is  that  she  '11  let  me  go  with 
you  to  the  king  of  the  Flood,  to  take  the  cup  to 
his  castle  and  bring  it  back  again." 

Fin  watched  the  time  closely,  and  when  the 
middle  of  Friday  night  came,  he  looked  through 
a  hole  in  the  door  and  saw  Scehide  combing  her 
hair.  Then  he  asked  his  request  of  her. 

"  Well,"  answered  she,  "  I  can't  refuse,  but  you 
must  promise  me  to  bring  back  Gilla,  dead  or  alive." 

Fin  promised  her  that. 

Next  morning  Fin  MacCumhail  and  Gilla  na 
Grakin  set  out  for  the  castle  of  the  king  of  the 
Flood,  taking  the  cup  with  them. 

They  walked  over  Erin  till  they  came  to  the 
shore  of  the  sea.  There  Gilla  caught  up  two 
pieces  of  wood,  and  putting  one  across  the  other, 
struck  them  a  tip  of  his  fingers,  and  out  of  them 
rose  a  fine  ship.  He  and  Fin  went  on  board, 
sailed  away,  and  never  stopped  till  they  cast 
anchor  outside  all  the  ships,  under  the  castle  of 
the  king  of  the  Flood.  The  two  walked  on  from 
deck  to  deck  till  they  stood  on  shore. 


264      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

They  went  a  short  distance  from  the  castle  of 
the  king  and  pitched  a  tent. 

Said  Gilla  to  Fin,  "  Now  we  are  hungry,  and  I 
must  find  food  for  you  and  myself." 

So  Gilla  na  Grakin  went  to  the  castle  and  asked 
food  of  the  king  of  the  Flood. 

"  You  '11  get  nothing  to  eat  from  me.  I  have  no 
food  in  this  place  to  give  you  or  the  like  of  you ; 
but  there  is  a  wild  bull  in  the  wood  outside.  Find 
him  :  if  you  kill  him,  you  '11  have  something  to  eat ; 
if  not  you  '11  go  fasting,"  said  the  king  of  the 
Flood  to  Gilla  na  Grakin. 

Gilla  went  out  to  the  wood,  and  when  the  wild 
bull  saw  a  man  coming  towards  him  he  drove  his 
horns  into  the  ground,  and  put  an  acre  of  land 
over  his  own  back.  Then  he  threw  up  an  oak-tree, 
roots  and  all,  till  it  nearly  reached  the  sky,  and 
made  at  Gilla  na  Grakin.  But  if  he  did,  Gilla  was 
ready  for  him  and  faced  him,  and  when  the  bull 
came  up,  he  caught  him  by  the  horns  and  threw 
him  to  the  ground;  then  putting  a  foot  on  one 
horn,  he  took  the  other  in  his  two  hands,  split  the 
bull  from  muzzle  to  tail,  and  made  two  halves  of 
him. 

Gilla  carried  the  carcass  to  the  tent,  and  when 
he  had  taken  off  the  skin  he  said  to  Fin,  "We 
have  no  pot  to  boil  the  meat  in.  Well,  I  '11  go  to 
the  king  again." 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhail.    265 

So  off  he  went  and  knocked  at  the  castle 
door. 

"  What  do  you  want  now?  "  asked  the  king. 

"  I  want  a  pot,"  said  Gilla,  "  to  boil  the  wild 
bull." 

"  Well,"  said  the  king,  "  I  have  no  pot  for  you 
but  that  big  pot  back  in  the  yard,  in  which  we 
boil  stuff  for  the  pigs.  I  '11  give  you  the  loan  of 
that  if  you  are  able  to  carry  it." 

"  It 's  good  to  get  that  itself  from  a  bad  person," 
said  Gilla  na  Grakin,  and  away  he  went  to  look  for 
the  pot  behind  the  castle. 

At  last  he  found  it,  and  when  he  put  it  down  at 
the  tent  he  said  to  Fin,  "  We  have  nothing  now  to 
boil  the  pot  with,  nothing  to  make  a  fire." 

Then  he  went  a  third  time  to  the  castle,  knocked 
at  the  door,  and  out  came  the  king.  "  What  do 
you  want  now?"  asked  he. 

"  Fire  to  boil  the  bull." 

"  Go  to  the  wood  and  get  firewood  for  your- 
self, or  do  without  it.  You  '11  get  no  firewood  from 
me,"  said  the  king  of  the  Flood. 

Gilla  went  out,  got  plenty  of  wood  and  boiled 
the  whole  bull. 

"  We  are  well  off  now,"  said  he  to  Fin ;  "  we 
have  plenty  to  eat." 

Next  morning  Gilla  na  Grakin  went  to  the  castle 
and  knocked. 


266       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Who  is  that?  "  asked  the  king,  without  opening 
the  door. 

"  I  want  no  chat  nor  questions  from  you,"  said 
Gilla,  "  but  get  me  a  breakfast." 

"  I  have  no  breakfast  now,"  said  the  king;  "  but 
wait  a  minute  and  you  '11  get  a  hot  breakfast  from 
me." 

That  moment  the  signal  was  sounded  for  the 
armies  of  the  king  of  the  Flood  to  take  Gilla 
na  Grakin  and  his  master. 

When  the  armies  stood  ready  Gilla  began  and 
went  through  them  as  a  hawk  through  sparrows. 
He  made  one  heap  of  their  heads  and  another  of 
their  weapons,  —  did  n't  leave  a  man  living.  Then 
he  went  into  the  castle  and  taking  the  king  of  the 
Flood  in  one  hand  and  the  queen  in  the  other,  he 
killed  each  of  them  against  the  other. 

Now  all  was  quiet  at  the  castle.  Gilla  na  Grakin 
struck  the  tent  and  went  to  the  ship  with  Fin 
MacCumhail,  who  had  the  cup  that  was  never 
dry. 

They  raised  the  sails  and  went  over  the  sea 
toward  Erin,  till  they  saw  a  large  ship  on  one  side 
of  them. 

"  If  it 's  going  to  help  us  that  ship  is,"  said  Fin, 
"  't  is  all  the  better  for  us,  but  if  't  is  going  against 
us  she  is,  that's  the  bad  part  of  it." 

As  the  ship  came  near,  Gilla  na  Grakin  looked 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhail.     267 

at  her  sharply,  and  said  to  Fin,  "  I  think  it 's  Lun 
Dubh  that 's  on  that  ship." 

"  Well,"  said  Fin,  "  may  be  he  '11  not  know  you 
in  a  strange  dress." 

When  Lun  Dubh  came  alongside,  he  called  out : 
"  I  know  you  well,  and  it 's  not  by  your  dress  that 
I  know  you,  Cesa  MacRi  na  Tulach."  Then  Lun 
Dubh  sprang  on  deck,  raised  his  hand,  struck  Gilla, 
and  stretched  him  dead. 

Fin  sailed  away  with  the  body  of  Gilla  na  Grakin, 
and  when  he  came  in  sight  of  the  shore  of  Erin 
he  raised  a  black  flag ;  for  he  had  promised  Gilla's 
wife  to  raise  a  white  flag  if  her  husband  was  well, 
but  a  black  one  if  he  was  dead. 

When  he  came  to  the  shore,  Scehide  ni  Wana- 
nan  was  there  before  him,  and  she  had  a  large, 
roomy  box.  When  she  saw  Fin  she  said,  "  You 
have  him  dead  with  you?" 

"  I  have,"  said  Fin. 

"  What  will  you  do  with  him  now?  "  asked  she. 

"  I  will  bury  him  decently,"  said  Fin. 

"  You  will  not,"  said  she ;  "  you  will  put  him  in 
this  box." 

Then  Fin  put  him  in  the  box.  She  went  aside 
and  got  some  fresh  shamrock  and  went  into  the 
box  with  Gilla.  Then  she  told  Fin  to  push  the 
box  out  to  sea,  and  putting  down  the  cover 
fastened  it  inside. 


268       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Fin  pushed  the  box  out  into  the  sea,  and  away 
it  went  driven  by  wind  and  waves,  till  one  day 
Scehide  looked  out  through  a  hole  and  saw  two 
sparrows  flying  and  a  dead  one  between  them. 
The  two  living  sparrows  let  the  dead  one  down 
on  an  island.  Soon  they  rose  up  again,  and  the 
dead  one  was  living. 

Said  Scehide  to  herself,  "  There  might  be 
something  on  that  island  that  would  cure  my 
husband  as  it  cured  the  dead  bird." 

Now  the  sea  put  the  box  in  on  the  island. 
Scehide  unfastened  the  cover,  came  out,  and 
walked  around  the  island.  Nothing  could  she 
find  but  a  small  spring  of  water  in  a  rock.  "  It 's 
in  this  the  cure  may  be,"  thought  she,  as  she 
looked  at  the  water.  Then  taking  off  one  of  her 
shoes  she  put  it  full  of  the  water,  took  it  to  the 
box,  and  poured  it  on  Gilla  na  Grakin.  That  mo- 
ment he  stood  up  alive  and  well. 

Gilla  walked  along  the  shore  till  he  found  two 
pieces  of  wood.  He  threw  one  across  the  other, 
gave  them  a  tip  of  his  hand,  a  fine  large  ship  stood 
there  at  the  shore,  and  in  it  he  sailed  with  Scehide 
back  to  Erin. 

When  they  landed  he  turned  the  vessel  into  two 
sticks  again  with  a  tip  of  the  hand,  and  set  out 
with  his  wife  for  the  castle  of  Fin  MacCumhail  in 
TirConal. 


Gilla  na  Grakin  and  Fin  MacCumhaiL    269 

They  came  to  the  castle  of  Fin  at  midnight. 
Gilla  knocked  and  said,  "  Put  my  wages  out  to 
me." 

"  Well,"  said  Fin  inside,  "  there  is  no  man,  alive 
or  dead,  that  has  wages  on  me  but  Gilla  na  Grakin, 
and  I  would  rather  see  that  fellow  here  than  the 
wages  of  three  men." 

"  Well,  rise  up  now  and  you  '11  see  him,"  said 
Gilla. 

Fin  rose  up,  saw  his  man,  gave  him  his  wages 
with  thanks  and  Gilla  departed. 

At  the  break  of  day  they  saw  a  great  house 
before  them.  A  man  walked  out  with  a  kerchief 
bound  on  his  head. 

When  Gilla  na  Grakin  came  up,  he  knew  the 
man,  and  raising  his  hand,  struck  him  dead  with 
a  blow. 

"  I  have  satisfaction  on  Lun  Dubh,  now,"  said 
Gilla  to  the  wife.  The  two  went  into  the  house 
and  stayed  there,  and  may  be  there  yet  for  any- 
thing we  know.  We  are  the  luck  and  they  are 
the  winners. 


FIN   MACCUMHAIL. 

THE  SEVEN  BROTHERS  AND  THE  KING  OF 

FRANCE. 

\T  7HEN  Fin  MacCumhail  with  seven  companies 
of  the  Fenians  of  Erin  was  living  at  Tara 
of  the  Kings,  he  went  hunting  one  day  with  the 
seven  companies ;  and  while  out  on  the  mountains 
seven  young  men  came  towards  him  and  when 
they  came  up  and  stood  before  him  he  asked  their 
names  of  them. 

Each  gave  his  name  in  turn,  beginning  with 
the  eldest,  and  their  names  were  Strong,  son  of 
Strength ;  Wise,  son  of  Wisdom ;  Builder,  son  of 
Builder;  Whistler,  son  of  Whistler;  Guide,  son 
of  Guide;  Climber,  son  of  Climber;  Thief,  son 
of  Thief. 

The  seven  young  men  pleased  Fin ;  they  were 
looking  for  service,  so  he  hired  them  for  a  year 
and  a  day. 

When  Fin  and  the  Fenians  of  Erin  went  home 
that  night  from  the  hunt  there  was  a  message  at 
the  castle  before  them  from  the  king  of  France 


Fin  MacCumhail.  271 

to  Fin  MacCumhail  and  the  Fenians  of  Erin,  ask- 
ing them  to  come  over  to  him  on  a  most  important 
affair. 

Fin  held  a  council  straightway  and  said,  "  France 
is  a  thousand  miles  from  this  and  the  sea  between 
it  and  Erin ;  how  can  we  go  to  the  king  of  France?  " 

Then  Strong,  son  of  Strength,  spoke  up  and 
said:  "What  is  the  use  of  hiring  us  if  we  can't 
do  this  work  and  the  like  of  it?  If  you  '11  make 
a  ship  here,  or  in  any  place,  I  '11  pull  it  in  the 
sea." 

"  And  I,"  said  Builder,  "  will  make  a  ship  fit 
for  you  or  any  king  on  earth  with  one  blow  of 
this  axe  in  my  hand." 

"  That 's  what  I  want,"  said  Fin,  "  and  now  do 
you  make  that  ship  for  me." 

"  I  will,"  said  Builder. 

"  Well,"  said  Strong,  "  I  '11  put  your  ship  in  the 
sea." 

Builder  made  the  ship  there  at  Tara  of  the 
Kings  and  then  Strong  brought  it  to  the  seashore 
and  put  it  in  the  water.  Fin  and  the  Fenians  of 
Erin  went  on  board,  and  Guide  took  the  ship  from 
Erin  to  France. 

When  Fin  and  his  men  went  to  the  king  of 
France  he  was  glad  to  see  them  and  said : 

"  I  '11  tell  you  the  reason  now  I  asked  you  here, 
and  the  business  I  have  with  you.  This  time  three 


272      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

years  ago  my  wife  had  a  son,  two  years  ago  a  sec- 
ond, one  year  ago  a  third,  and  the  neighbors'  wives 
are  thinking  she  '11  have  another  child  soon.  Im- 
mediately they  were  born  the  three  were  taken 
away,  and  I  want  you  to  save  the  fourth ;  for  we 
all  think  it  will  be  taken  from  us  like  the  other 
three.  When  each  one  of  the  others  was  sleeping, 
a  hand  came  down  the  chimney  to  the  cradle  and 
took  the  child  away  with  it  up  the  chimney.  There 
is  meat  and  drink  in  plenty  in  that  room  for  you 
and  the  Fenians  of  Erin.  My  only  request  is  that 
you  '11  watch  the  child." 

"  We  '11  do  that,"  said  Fin,  and  he  went  into  the 
chamber  with  men  enough  to  watch  and  the  seven 
brothers  with  him.  Then  the  seven  said :  "  Do 
you  and  the  men  go  to  sleep  for  yourselves,  and 
we  '11  do  the  watching." 

So  Fin  and  the  men  went  to  sleep.  The  child 
was  born  early  in  the  evening  and  put  in  the 
cradle.  At  the  dead  of  night  Wise  said  to  Strong : 
"  Now  is  your  time;  the  hand  is  near;  keep  your 
eye  on  it." 

Soon  he  saw  the  hand  coming  lower  and  lower 
and  moving  towards  the  child;  and  when  it  was 
going  into  the  cradle,  Strong  caught  the  hand  and 
it  drew  him  up  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  chimney. 
Then  he  pulled  it  down  to  the  ashes ;  again  it  drew 
him  up. 


Fin  MacCumhail.  273 

They  were  that  way  all  night,  —  the  hand  draw- 
ing Strong  almost  to  the  top  of  the  chimney  and 
out  of  the  house  and  Strong  dragging  the  hand 
down  to  the  hearth.  They  were  up  and  down  the 
chimney  till  break  of  day ;  and  every  stone  in  the 
castle  of  the  king  of  France  was  trembling  in  its 
place  from  the  struggle. 

But  at  break  of  day  Strong  tore  from  its  shoul- 
der the  arm  with  the  hand,  and  there  was  peace. 
Now  all  rose  up  at  the  castle.  The  king  came  and 
was  glad  when  he  saw  the  child. 

Then  Fin  spoke  up  and  said :  "  We  have  done 
no  good  thing  yet  till  we  bring  back  the  other 
three  to  you." 

Wise  spoke  up  and  said :  "  I  know  very  well 
where  the  other  three  are,  and  I  '11  show  you  the 
place." 

So  all  set  out  and  they  followed  him  to  the 
castle  of  Mai  MacMulcan  and  there  they  saw  the 
three  sons  of  the  King  of  France  carrying  water 
to  MacMulcan  to  cool  the  shoulder  from  which 
the  arm  had  been  torn  by  Strong. 

Then  Wise  said  to  Climber :  "  Now  is  your  time 
to  take  the  children  away  ;  for  we  can  do  it  without 
being  seen  ;  but  if  Mai  MacMulcan  were  to  see  the 
children  going  from  him,  he  'd  destroy  the  whole 
world.  But  as  it  is  when  he  finds  the  children 
are  gone,  he  has  a  sister  there  near  himself,  and 

18 


274      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

he  '11  break  her  head  against  the  wall  of  the 
castle." 

Then  Climber  took  a  clew  from  his  pocket  and 
threw  it  over  the  walls  of  the  castle,  and  the  walls 
were  so  high  that  no  bird  of  the  air  could  fly  over 
them.  Then  they  fixed  a  rope  ladder  on  the 
castle.  Wise,  Guide,  and  Climber  went  up  the 
ladder  and  at  break  of  day  they  brought  away 
the  three  children  and  gave  them  to  the  king  of 
France  that  morning.  And  the  king  of  France 
was  so  glad  when  he  saw  his  three  sons  that  he 
said  to  Fin:  "I  will  give  you  your  ship  full  of  the 
most  precious  stuffs  in  my  kingdom." 

"  I  will  take  nothing  for  myself,"  said  Fin;  "  but 
do  you  give  what  you  like  to  my  seven  young  men 
who  have  done  the  work ;  "  and  the  seven  said  they 
would  n't  take  anything  while  they  were  serving 
with  him.  So  Fin  took  the  present  from  the  king 
of  France  and  set  sail  for  Erin  with  the  Fenians 
and  the  seven  young  men. 

While  they  were  on  the  way  to  Erin  they  saw 
the  sea  raging  after  them.  Wise,  son  of  Wisdom, 
said :  "  That  is  Mai  MacMulcan  coming  to  get 
satisfaction  out  of  us." 

Then  MacMulcan  caught  hold  of  the  ship  by 
the  stern  and  pulled  it  down  till  the  masts 
touched  the  sea.  Strong  caught  him  by  the  left 
remaining  hand,  and  the  two  began  to  fight,  and 


Fin  MacCumhail.  275 

at  last  Strong  pulled  him  on  to  the  deck  of  the 
ship. 

"  Our  ship  will  be  sunk,"  said  Wise,  "  and  Fin 
with  the  Fenians  of  Erin  and  the  seven  of  us  will 
be  drowned  unless  you  make  a  flail  out  of  Mac- 
Mulcan  and  thrash  the  head  off  his  body  on  the 
deck  of  the  ship." 

Strong  made  a  flail  out  of  MacMulcan  and  killed 
him,  and  the  sea  was  filled  with  blood  in  a  minute 
of  time.  Then  the  ship  moved  on  without  harm 
till  they  came  to  the  same  spot  in  Erin  from  which 
they  had  sailed. 

When  Fin  came  to  the  place  where  he  had  hired 
the  seven  young  men  the  year  and  a  day  were 
over.  He  paid  them  their  hire  and  they  left  him. 
Then  he  came  to  his  own  castle  at  Tara  of  the  Kings- 

One  day  Fin  went  out  walking  alone,  and  he 
met  an  old  hag  by  the  way.  She  spoke  up  to 
him  and  asked :  "  Would  you  play  a  game  of 
cards  with  me?" 

"  I  would,"  said  Fin,  "  if  I  had  the  means  of 
playing." 

The  old  hag  pulled  out  a  pack  of  cards  and 
said :  "  Here  you  have  the  means  of  playing  as 
many  games  as  you  like." 

They  sat  down  and  played ;  Fin  got  the  first 
game  on  the  old  woman.  Then  she  said,  "  Put 
the  sentence  on  me  now." 


276     Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  I  will  not,"  said  Fin ;  "  I  '11  do  nothing  till  we 
play  another  game." 

They  played  again  and  she  won  the  second 
game.  Then  she  said  to  Fin,  "  You  will  have  to 
go  and  bring  here  for  me  the  head  of  Curucha 
na  Gras  and  the  sword  that  guards  his  castle ; 
and  I  won't  give  you  leave  to  take  away  any  of 
your  men  with  you  but  one,  and  he  is  the  worst  of 
them  all,  — '  Iron  back  without  action,'  and  the  time 
for  your  journey  is  a  year  and  a  day.  Now  what 
is  your  sentence  on  me?"  said  the  old  hag. 

"  You  '11  put  one  foot,"  said  Fin,  "  on  the  top  of 
my  castle  in  Tara  of  the  Kings,  and  the  other  on 
a  hill  in  Mayo,  and  you  '11  stand  with  your  back  to 
the  wind  and  your  face  to  the  storm,  a  sheaf  of 
wheat  on  the  ground  before  the  gate  will  be  all 
you  '11  have  to  eat,  and  any  grain  that  will  be 
blown  out  of  it,  if  you  catch  that  you  '11  have  it, 
and  you  '11  be  that  way  till  I  come  back." 

So  Fin  went  away  with  himself  and  "  Iron  back 
without  action."  And  when  they  had  gone  as  far 
as  a  large  wood  that  was  by  the  roadside,  a  thick 
fog  came  on  them,  and  rain,  and  they  sat  down  at 
the  edge  of  the  wood  and  waited.  Soon  they  saw 
a  red-haired  boy  with  a  bow  and  arrows  shooting 
birds,  and  whenever  he  hit  a  bird  he  used  to  put 
the  arrow  through  its  two  eyes  and  not  put  a  drop 
of  blood  on  its  feathers. 


Fin  MacCumhaiL  277 

And  when  the  red  boy  came  near  Fin,  he  drew 
his  bow,  sent  an  arrow  through  "  Iron  back  without 
action,"  and  put  the  life  out  of  him. 

When  he  did  that  Fin  said,  "  You  have  left  me 
without  any  man,  though  this  was  the  worst  of  all 
I  have/' 

"  You  'd  better  hire  me,"  said  the  red  boy ; 
"  you  Ve  lost  nothing,  for  you  were  without  a  man 
when  you  had  that  fellow  the  same  as  you  are  now." 

So  Fin  hired  the  red  boy  and  asked  him  his 
name.  "  I  won't  tell  you  that,"  said  he,  "  but  do 
you  put  the  name  on  me  that'll  please  yourself." 

"  Well,"  said  Fin,  "  since  I  met  you  in  the  rain 
and  the  mist  I  '11  call  you  Misty." 

"  That'll  be  my  name  while  I  'm  with  you,"  said 
the  red  boy,  "  and  now  we  '11  cast  lots  to  see  which 
of  us  will  carry  the  other ;  "  and  the  lot  fell  upon 
Misty.  He  raised  Fin  on  his  back  to  carry  him, 
and  the  first  leap  he  took  was  six  miles,  and  every 
step  a  mile,  and  he  went  on  without  stopping  till 
he  was  in  the  Western  World.  When  they  came 
to  the  castle  of  Curucha  na  Gras,  Fin  and  Misty  put 
up  a  tent  for  themselves  and  they  were  hungry 
enough  after  the  long  road,  and  Misty  said,  "  I  will 
go  and  ask  Curucha  for  something  to  eat."  He 
went  to  the  castle  and  put  a  fighting  blow  on  the 
door.  Curucha  came  out  and  Misty  asked  him  for 
bread. 


278      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  I  would  n't  give  you  the  leavings  of  my  pigs," 
said  Curucha. 

Misty  turned  and  left  him,  but  on  the  way  he 
met  the  bakers  bringing  bread  from  the  bake 
house  and  he  caught  all  their  loaves  from  them  and 
ran  home  to  Fin.  "  We  have  plenty  to  eat  now," 
said  Misty,  "  but  nothing  at  all  to  drink.  I  must 
go  to  Curucha  to  know  will  he  give  us  something 
to  drink." 

He  went  a  second  time  to  the  castle,  put  a  fight- 
ing blow  on  the  door,  and  out  came  Curucha. 

"  What  do  you  want  this  time?  "  asked  he. 

"  I  want  drink  for  myself  and  my  master,  Fin 
MacCumhail." 

"  You  '11  get  no  drink  from  me.  I  would  n't  give 
you  the  dirty  ditch-water  that 's  outside  my 
castle." 

Misty  turned  to  go  home,  but  on  the  way  he 
met  twelve  boys  each  carrying  the  full  of  his  arms 
of  bottles  of  wine.  He  took  every  bottle  from 
them,  and  it  was  n't  long  till  he  was  in  the  tent. 

"  Now  we  can  eat  and  drink  our  fill." 

"  We  can  indeed,"  said  Fin.  Next  morning 
Misty  put  another  fighting  blow  on  the  door  of 
the  castle.  Out  flew  Curucha  with  his  guardian 
sword  in  his  hand,  and  he  made  at  Misty.  With 
the  first  blow  he  gave  him,  he  took  an  ear  off  his 
head. 


Fin  MacCumhaiL  279 

Misty  sprang  back,  drew  his  bow,  and  sent  an 
arrow  into  Curucha's  breast.  It  flew  out  through 
his  head  and  he  fell  lifeless  on  the  ground.  Then 
Misty  drew  his  knife,  cut  off  the  head,  and  carried 
the  head  and  the  sword  to  Fin  MacCumhail,  and 
Fin  was  glad  to  get  them  both. 

"  Take  the  head,"  said  Misty,  "  and  put  it  on  top 
of  the  holly  bush  that 's  out  here  above  us."  Fin 
put  the  head  on  the  holly  bush,  and  the  minute  he 
put  it  there  the  head  burnt  the  bush  to  the  earth, 
and  the  earth  to  the  clay. 

Then  they  took  the  best  horse  that  could  be 
found  about  Curucha's  castle,  Fin  sat  on  the 
horse,  with  the  sword  and  head  in  front  of  him ; 
and  Misty  followed  behind. 

They  went  their  way  and  never  stopped  till  they 
came  to  the  place  where  Misty  sent  the  arrow 
through  "  Iron  back  without  action  "  and  killed 
him.  When  they  came  to  that  spot,  Misty  asked 
Fin  would  he  tell  him  a  story,  and  Fin  answered, 
"  I  have  no  story  to  tell  except  that  we  are  in  the 
place  now  where  you  killed  my  man." 

"  Oh,  then,"  said  Misty,  "  I  'm  glad  you  put 
that  in  my  mind  for  I  '11  give  him  back  to  you 
now."  So  they  went  and  took  "  Iron  back  with- 
out action  "  out  of  the  ground;  then  Misty  struck 
him  with  a  rod  of  enchantment  which  he  had,  and 
brought  life  into  him  again. 


280      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland, 

Then  Misty  turned  to  Fin  and  said :  "  I  am  a 
brother  of  the  seven  boys  who  went  with  you  to 
save  the  children  of  the  king  of  France.  I  was 
too  young  for  action  at  that  time,  but  my  mother 
sent  me  here  now  as  a  gift  to  help  you  and  tell 
you  what  to  do.  When  you  go  to  the  hag  she  '11 
ask  you  for  the  sword,  but  you  '11  not  give  it,  you  '11 
only  show  it  to  her.  And  when  she  has  seen  the 
sword  she  '11  ask  for  the  head.  And  you  '11  not 
give  the  head  to  her  either,  you  '11  only  show  it ; 
and  when  she  sees  the  head,  she  '11  open  her  mouth 
with  joy  at  seeing  the  head  of  her  brother;  and 
when  you  see  her  open  her  mouth  be  sure  to  strike 
her  on  the  breast  with  the  head  ;  and  if  you  don't  do 
that,  the  whole  world  would  n't  be  able  to  kill  her." 

Then  Fin  left  Misty  where  he  met  him  and  with 
"Iron  back  without  action  "  he  made  for  Tara  of 
the  Kings. 

When  he  came  in  front  of  the  old  hag  she 
asked  him  had  he  the  gifts.  Fin  said  he  had.  She 
asked  for  the  sword  but  she  did  n't  get  it,  Fin  only 
showed  it  to  her.  Then  she  asked  for  the  head, 
and  when  she  saw  the  head,  she  opened  her  mouth 
with  delight  at  seeing  the  head  of  her  brother. 

While  she  stood  there  with  open  mouth  gazing, 
Fin  picked  out  the  mark  and  struck  her  on  the 
breast  with  the  head.  She  fell  to  the  ground ; 
they  left  her  there  dead  and  went  into  the  castle. 


BLACK,  BROWN,  AND  GRAY. 

a  day  Fin  MacCumhail  was  near  Tara  of  the 
Kings,  south  of  Ballyshannon,  hunting  with 
seven  companies  of  the  Fenians  of  Erin. 

During  the  day  they  saw  three  strange  men 
coming  towards  them,  and  Fin  said  to  the  Fenians : 
"  Let  none  of  you  speak  to  them,  and  if  they  have 
good  manners  they  '11  not  speak  to  you  nor  to  any 
man  till  they  come  to  me." 

When  the  three  men  came  up,  they  said  nothing 
till  they  stood  before  Fin  himself.  Then  he  asked 
what  their  names  were  and  what  they  wanted. 
They  answered :  — 

"  Our  names  are  Dubh,  Dun,  and  Glasdn  [Black, 
Brown,  and  Gray].  We  have  come  to  find  Fin 
MacCumhail,  chief  of  the  Fenians  of  Erin,  and  take 
service  with  him." 

Fin  was  so  well  pleased  with  their  looks  that  he 
brought  them  home  with  him  that  evening  and 
called  them  his  sons.  Then  he  said,  "  Every  man 
who  comes  to  this  castle  must  watch  the  first 
night  for  me,  and  since  three  of  you  have  come 
together,  each  will  watch  one  third  of  the  night. 


282      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

You  '11  cast  lots  to  see  who  '11  watch  first  and 
second." 

Fin  had  the  trunk  of  a  tree  brought,  three  equal 
parts  made  of  it,  and  one  given  to  each  of  the  men. 

Then  he  said,  "When  each  of  you  begins  his 
watch  he  will  set  fire  to  his  own  piece  of  wood,  and 
so  long  as  the  wood  burns  he  will  watch." 

The  lot  fell  to  Dubh  to  go  on  the  first  watch. 
Dubh  set  fire  to  his  log,  then  went  out  around 
the  castle,  the  dog  Bran  with  him.  He  wandered 
on,  going  further  and  further  from  the  castle,  and 
Bran  after  him.  At  last  he  saw  a  bright  light  and 
went  towards  it.  When  he  came  to  the  place 
where  the  light  was  burning,  he  saw  a  large  house. 
He  entered  the  house  and  when  inside  saw  a  great 
company  of  most  strange  looking  men,  drinking 
out  of  a  single  cup. 

The  chief  of  the  party,  who  was  sitting  on  a 
high  place,  gave  the  cup  to  the  man  nearest  him ; 
and  when  he  had  drunk  his  fill  out  of  it,  he  passed 
it  to  his  neighbor,  and  so  on  to  the  last. 

While  the  cup  was  going  the  round  of  the 
company,  the  chief  said,  "  This  is  the  great  cup 
that  was  taken  from  Fin  MacCumhail  a  hundred 
years  ago;  and  as  much  as  each  man  wishes  to 
drink  he  always  gets  from  it,  and  no  matter  how 
many  men  there  may  be,  or  what  they  wish  for, 
they  always  have  their  fill." 


Black,  Brown,  and  Gray.  283 

Dubh  sat  near  the  door  on  the  edge  of  the 
crowd,  and  when  the  cup  came  to  him  he  drank  a 
little,  then  slipped  out  and  hurried  away  in  the 
dark ;  when  he  came  to  the  fountain  at  the  castle 
of  Fin  MacCumhail,  his  log  was  burned. 

As  the  second  lot  had  fallen  on  Dun,  it  was  now 
his  turn  to  watch,  so  he  set  fire  to  his  log  and 
went  out,  in  the  place  of  Dubh,  with  the  dog  Bran 
after  him. 

Dun  walked  on  through  the  night  till  he  saw  a 
fire.  He  went  towards  it,  and  when  he  had  come 
near  he  saw  a  large  house,  which  he  entered ;  and 
when  inside  he  saw  a  crowd  of  strange  looking 
men,  fighting.  They  were  ferocious,  wonderful  to 
look  at,  and  fighting  wildly. 

The  chief,  who  had  climbed  on  the  crossbeams 
of  the  house  to  escape  the  uproar  and  struggle, 
called  out  to  the  crowd  below :  "  Stop  fighting  now ; 
for  I  have  a  better  gift  than  the  one  you  have  lost 
this  night."  And  putting  his  hand  behind  his  belt, 
he  drew  out  a  knife  and  held  it  before  them,  say- 
ing: "  Here  is  the  wonderful  knife,  the  small  knife 
of  division,  that  was  stolen  from  Fin  MacCumhail 
a  hundred  years  ago,  and  if  you  cut  on  a  bone 
with  the  knife,  you  '11  get  the  finest  meat  in  the 
world,  and  as  much  of  it  as  ever  your  hearts  can 
wish  for." 

Then  he  passed  down  the  knife  and  a  bare  bone 


284      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

to  the  man  next  him,  and  the  man  began  to  cut; 
and  off  came  slices  of  the  sweetest  and  best  meat 
in  the  world. 

The  knife  and  the  bone  passed  from  man  to 
man  till  they  came  to  Dun,  who  cut  a  slice  off  the 
bone,  slipped  out  unseen,  and  made  for  Fin's  castle 
as  fast  as  his  two  legs  could  carry  him  through  the 
darkness  and  over  the  ground. 

When  he  was  by  the  fountain  at  the  castle,  his 
part  of  the  log  was  burned  and  his  watch  at  an 
end. 

Now  Glasan  set  fire  to  his  stick  of  wood  and 
went  out  on  his  watch  and  walked  forward  till  he 
saw  the  light  and  came  to  the  same  house  that 
Dubh  and  Dun  had  visited.  Looking  in  he  saw 
the  place  full  of  dead  bodies,  and  thought,  "  There 
must  be  some  great  wonder  here.  If  I  lie  down  in 
the  midst  of  these  and  put  some  of  them  over  me 
to  hide  myself,  I  shall  be  able  to  see  what  is  going 
on." 

He  lay  down  and  pulled  some  of  the  bodies 
over  himself.  He  was  n't  there  long  when  he  saw 
an  old  hag  coming  into  the  house.  She  had  but 
one  leg,  one  arm,  and  one  upper  tooth,  which  was 
as  long  as  her  leg  and  served  her  in  place  of  a 
crutch. 

When  inside  the  door  she  took  up  the  first 
corpse  she  met  and  threw  it  aside ;  it  was  lean. 


Black,  Brown,  and  Gray.  285 

As  she  went  on  she  took  two  bites  out  of  every 
fat  corpse  she  met,  and  threw  every  lean  one 
aside. 

She  had  her  fill  of  flesh  and  blood  before  she 
came  to  Glasan ;  and  as  soon  as  she  had  that,  she 
dropped  down  on  the  floor,  lay  on  her  back,  and 
went  to  sleep. 

Every  breath  she  drew,  Glasan  was  afraid  she  'd 
drag  the  roof  down  on  top  of  his  head,  and  every 
time  she  let  a  breath  out  of  her  he  thought  she  'd 
sweep  the  roof  off  the  house. 

Then  he  rose  up,  looked  at  her,  and  wondered 
at  the  bulk  of  her  body.  At  last  he  drew  his 
sword,  hit  her  a  slash,  and  if  he  did,  three  young 
giants  sprang  forth. 

Glasan  killed  the  first  giant,  the  dog  Bran  killed 
the  second,  and  the  third  ran  away. 

Glasan  now  hurried  back,  and  when  he  reached 
the  fountain  at  Fin's  castle,  his  log  of  wood  was 
burned,  and  day  was  dawning. 

When  all  had  risen  in  the  morning,  and  the 
Fenians  of  Erin  came  out,  Fin  said  to  Dubh, 
"  Have  you  anything  new  or  wonderful  to  tell  me 
after  the  night's  watching?" 

"  I  have,"  said  Dubh ;  "  for  I  brought  back  the 
drinking-cup  that  you  lost  a  hundred  years  ago. 
I  was  out  in  the  darkness  watching.  I  walked  on, 
and  the  dog  Bran  with  me  till  I  saw  a  light.  When 


286      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

I  came  to  the  light  I  found  a  house,  and  in  the 
house  a  company  feasting.  The  chief  was  a  very 
old  man,  and  sat  on  a  high  place  above  the  rest. 
He  took  out  the  cup  and  said :  '  This  is  the  cup 
that  was  stolen  from  Fin  MacCumhail  a  hundred 
years  ago,  and  it  is  always  full  of  the  best  drink 
in  the  world ;  and  when  one  of  you  has  drunk 
from  the  cup  pass  it  on  to  the  next.' 

"  They  drank  and  passed  the  cup  till  it  came  to 
me.  I  took  it  and  hurried  back.  When  I  came 
here,  my  log  was  burned  and  my  watch  was 
finished.  Here  now  is  the  cup  for  you,"  said 
Dubh  to  Fin  MacCumhail. 

Fin  praised  him  greatly  for  what  he  had  done, 
and  turning  to  Dun  said :  "  Now  tell  us  what 
happened  in  your  watch." 

"  When  my  turn  came  I  set  fire  to  the  log 
which  you  gave  me,  and  walked  on ;  the  dog  Bran 
following,  till  I  saw  a  light.  When  I  came  to  the 
light,  I  found  a  house  in  which  was  a  crowd  of 
people,  all  fighting  except  one  very  old  man  on 
a  high  place  above  the  rest.  He  called  to  them 
for  peace,  and  told  them  to  be  quiet.  '  For,'  said 
he,  '  I  have  a  better  gift  for  you  than  the  one  you 
lost  this  night,'  and  he  took  out  the  small  knife 
of  division  with  a  bare  bone,  and  said:  'This  is 
the  knife  that  was  stolen  from  Fin  MacCumhail,  a 
hundred  years  ago,  and  whenever  you  cut  on  the 


Blacky  Brown,  and  Gray.  287 

bone  with  the  knife,  you  '11  get  your  fill  of  the  best 
meat  on  earth.' 

"  Then  he  handed  the  knife  and  the  bone  to  the 
man  nearest  him,  who  cut  from  it  all  the  meat  he 
wanted,  and  then  passed  it  to  his  neighbor.  The 
knife  went  from  hand  to  hand  till  it  came  to  me, 
then  I  took  it,  slipped  out,  and  hurried  away. 
When  I  came  to  the  fountain,  my  log  was  burned, 
and  here  are  the  knife  and  bone  for  you." 

"  You  have  done  a  great  work,  and  deserve  my 
best  praise,"  said  Fin.  "  We  are  sure  of  the  best 
eating  and  drinking  as  long  as  we  keep  the  cup 
and  the  knife." 

"  Now  what  have  you  seen  in  your  part  of  the 
night?"  said  Fin  to  Glasdn. 

"  I  went  out,"  said  Glasdn,  "  with  the  dog  Bran, 
and  walked  on  till  I  saw  a  light,  and  when  I  came 
to  the  light  I  saw  a  house,  which  I  entered.  Inside 
were  heaps  of  dead  men,  killed  in  fighting,  and  I 
wondered  greatly  when  I  saw  them.  At  last  I  lay 
down  in  the  midst  of  the  corpses,  put  some  of 
them  over  me  and  waited  to  see  what  would 
happen. 

"  Soon  an  old  hag  came  in  at  the  door,  she  had 
but  one  arm,  one  leg,  and  the  one  tooth  out  of 
her  upper  jaw,  and  that  tooth  as  long  as  her  leg, 
and  she  used  it  for  a  crutch  as  she  hobbled  along. 
She  threw  aside  the  first  corpse  she  met  and  took 


288      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

two  bites  out  of  the  second,  —  for  she  threw  every 
lean  corpse  away  and  took  two  bites  out  of  every 
fat  one.  When  she  had  eaten  her  fill,  she  lay  down 
on  her  back  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  and  went 
to  sleep.  I  rose  up  then  to  look  at  her,  and  every 
time  she  drew  a  breath  I  was  in  dread  she  would 
bring  down  the  roof  of  the  house  on  the  top  of  my 
head,  and  every  time  she  let  a  breath  out  of  her, 
I  thought  she  'd  sweep  the  roof  from  the  building, 
so  strong  was  the  breath  of  the  old  hag. 

"  Then  I  drew  my  sword  and  cut  her  with  a 
blow,  but  if  I  did  three  young  giants  sprang  up 
before  me.  I  killed  the  first,  Bran  killed  the  sec- 
ond, but  the  third  escaped.  I  walked  away  then, 
and  when  I  was  at  the  fountain  outside,  daylight 
had  come  and  my  log  was  burned." 

"  Between  you  and  me,"  said  Fin,  "  it  would 
have  been  as  well  if  you  had  let  the  old  hag  alone. 
I  am  greatly  in  dread  the  third  young  giant  will 
bring  trouble  on  us  all." 

For  twenty-one  years  Fin  MacCumhail  and  the 
Fenians  of  Erin  hunted  for  sport  alone.  They  had 
the  best  of  eating  from  the  small  knife  of  division, 
and  the  best  of  drinking  from  the  cup  that  was 
never  dry. 

At  the  end  of  twenty-one  years  Dubh,  Dun,  and 
Glasan  went  away,  and  one  day,  as  Fin  and  the 
Fenians  of  Erin  were  hunting  on  the  hills  and 


Black,  Brown,  and  Gray.  289 

mountains,  they  saw  a  Fear  Ruadh  (a  red  haired 
man)  coming  toward  them. 

"  There  is  a  bright  looking  man  coming  this 
way,"  said  Fin,  "  and  don't  you  speak  to  him." 

"  Oh,  what  do  we  care  for  him?  "  asked  Conan 
Maol. 

"  Don't  be  rude  to  a  stranger,"  said  Fin. 

The  Fear  Ruadh  came  forward  and  spoke  to  no 
man  till  he  stood  before  Fin. 

"  What  have  you  come  for?  "  asked  Fin. 

"  To  find  a  master  for  twenty-one  years." 

"  What  wages  do  you  ask?"  inquired  Fin. 

"  No  wages  but  this,  —  that  if  I  die  before  the 
twenty-one  years  have  passed,  I  shall  be  buried 
on  Inis  Caol  (Light  Island)." 

"  I  '11  give  you  those  wages,"  said  Fin,  and  he 
hired  the  Fear  Ruadh  for  twenty-one  years. 

He  served  Fin  for  twenty  years  to  his  satisfac- 
tion ;  but  toward  the  end  of  the  twenty-first  year 
he  fell  into  a  decline,  became  an  old  man,  and 
died. 

When  the  Fear  Ruadh  was  dead,  the  Fenians  of 
Erin  said  that  not  a  step  would  they  go  to  bury 
him ;  but  Fin  declared  that  he  would  n't  break  his 
word  for  any  man,  and  must  take  the  corpse  to 
Inis  Caol. 

Fin  had  an  old  white  horse  which  he  had  turned 
out  to  find  a  living  for  himself  as  he  could  on  the 

19 


2 go      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

hillsides  and  in  the  woods.  And  now  he  looked 
for  the  horse  and  found  that  he  had  become 
younger  than  older  in  looks  since  he  had  put  him 
out.  So  he  took  the  old  white  horse  and  tied 
a  coffin,  with  the  body  of  the  Fear  Ruadh  in  it, 
on  his  back.  Then  they  started  him  on  ahead 
and  away  he  went  followed  by  Fin  and  twelve  men 
of  the  Fenians  of  Erin. 

When  they  came  to  the  temple  on  Inis  Caol 
there  were  no  signs 'of  the  white  horse  and  the 
coffin ;  but  the  temple  was  open  and  in  went  Fin 
and  the  twelve. 

There  were  seats  for  each  man  inside.  They 
sat  down  and  rested  awhile  and  then  Fin  tried  to 
to  rise  but  could  n't.  He  told  the  men  to  rise,  but 
the  twelve  were  fastened  to  the  seats,  and  the  seats 
to  the  ground,  so  that  not  a  man  of  them  could 
come  to  his  feet. 

"  Oh,  "  said  Fin,  "  I  'm  in  dread  there  is  some 
evil  trick  played  on  us." 

At  that  moment  the  Fear  Ruadh  stood  before 
them  in  all  his  former  strength  and  youth  and  said  : 
"  Now  is  the  time  for  me  to  take  satisfaction 
out  of  you  for  my  mother  and  brothers,"  Then 
one  of  the  men  said  to  Fin,  "  Chew  your  thumb 
to  know  is  there  any  way  out  of  this." 

Fin  chewed  his  thumb  to  know  what  should  he 
do.  When  he  knew,  he  blew  the  great  whistle  with 


Black,  Brown,  and  Gray.  291 

his  two  hands;  which  was  heard  by  Donogh  Kam- 
cosa  and  Diarmuid  O'Duivnc. 

The  Fear  Ruadh  fell  to  and  killed  three  of  the 
men;  but  before  he  could  touch  the  fourth 
Donogh  and  Diarmuid  were  there,  and  put  an  end 
to  him.  Now  all  were  free,  and  Fin  with  the  nine 
men  went  back  to  their  castle  south  of  Bally 
shannon. 


FIN   MACCUMHAIL  AND  THE   SON   OF 
THE   KING   OF   ALBA. 

/^\N  a  day  Fin  went  out  hunting  with  his  dog 
Bran,  on  Knock  an  Ar ;  and  he  killed  so  much 
game  that  he  did  n't  know  what  to  do  with  it  or 
how  to  bring  it  home.  As  he  stood  looking  and 
thinking,  all  at  once  he  saw  a  man  running  towards 
him,  with  a  rope  around  his  waist  so  long  that  half 
his  body  was  covered  with  it ;  and  the  man  was 
of  such  size  that,  as  he  ran,  Fin  could  see  the 
whole  world  between  his  legs  and  nothing  between 
his  head  and  the  sky.  When  he  came  up,  the 
man  saluted  Fin,  who  answered  him  most  kindly. 
"Where  are  you  going?  "  asked  Fin.  "I  am  out 
looking  for  a  master."  "  Well,"  said  Fin,  "  I  am 
in  sore  need  of  a  man;  what  can  you  do?  "  "  Do 
you  see  this  rope  on  my  body?  Whatever  this 
rope  will  bind  I  can  carry."  "  If  that  is  true,"  said 
Fin,  "  you  are  the  man  I  want  Do  you  see  the 
game  on  this  hillside?"  "I  do,"  said  the  man. 
"  Well,  put  that  into  the  rope  and  carry  it  to  my 
castle." 

The  man  put  all  the  game  into  the  rope,  made  a 
great  bundle,  and  threw  it  on  his  back. 


Fin  MacCumhail.  293 

"  Show  me  the  way  to  the  castle  now,"  said  he. 
Fin  started  on  ahead,  and  though  he  ran  with  all 
his  might,  he  could  not  gain  one  step  on  the  man 
who  followed  with  the  game.  The  sentry  on  guard 
at  the  castle  saw  the  man  running  while  yet  far  off. 
He  stepped  inside  the  gate  and  said :  "  There  is 
a  man  coming  with  a  load  on  his  back  as  big  as  a 
mountain."  Before  he  could  come  out  again  to  his 
place  the  man  was  there  and  the  load  off  his  back. 
When  the  game  came  to  the  ground,  it  shook  the 
castle  to  its  foundations.  Next  day  the  man  was 
sent  to  herd  cows  for  a  time,  and  while  he  was 
gone,  Conan  Maol  said  to  Fin:  "  If  you  don't  put 
this  cowherd  to  death,  he  will  destroy  all  the 
Fenians  of  Erin."  "  How  could  I  put  such  a  good 
man  to  death?"  asked  Fin.  "Send  him,"  said 
Conan,  "  to  sow  corn  on  the  brink  of  a  lake  in  the 
north  of  Erin.  Now,  in  that  lake  lives  a  serpent  that 
never  lets  a  person  pass,  but  swallows  every  man 
that  goes  that  way."  Fin  agreed  to  this,  and  the 
next  morning  after  breakfast  he  called  the  man,  gave 
him  seven  bullocks,  a  plough,  and  a  sack  of  grain, 
and  sent  him  to  the  lake  in  the  north  of  Erin  to  sow 
corn.  When  he  came  to  the  lake,  the  man  started 
to  plough,  drew  one  furrow.  The  lake  began  to  boil 
up,  and  as  he  was  coming  back,  making  the  second 
furrow,  the  serpent  was  on  the  field  before  him 
and  swallowed  the  seven  bullocks  and  the  plough 


294      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

up  to  the  handles.  But  the  man  held  fast  to  what 
he  had  in  his  two  hands,  gave  a  pull,  and  dragged 
the  plough  and  six  of  the  bullocks  out  of  the  belly 
of  the  serpent.  The  seventh  one  remained  inside. 
The  serpent  went  at  him  and  they  fought  for  seven 
days  and  nights.  At  the  end  of  that  time  the  ser- 
pent was  as  tame  as  a  cat,  and  the  man  drove  him 
and  the  six  bullocks  home  before  him. 

When  he  was  in  sight  of  Fin's  castle,  the  sentry 
at  the  gate  ran  in  and  cried :  "  That  cowherd  is 
coming  with  the  size  of  a  mountain  before  him  !  " 
"  Run  out,"  said  Conan  Maol,  "  and  tell  him  to  tie 
the  serpent  to  that  oak  out  there." 

They  ran  out,  and  the  man  tied  the  serpent  to 
the  oak-tree,  then  came  in  and  had  a  good 
supper. 

Next  morning  the  man  went  out  to  herd  cows 
as  before.  "  Well,"  said  Conan  Maol  to  Fin,  "  if 
you  don't  put  this  man  to  death,  he  '11  destroy  you 
and  me  and  all  the  Fenians  of  Erin." 

"  How  could  I  put  such  a  man  to  death  ?  " 

"  There  is,"  said  Conan,  "  a  bullock  in  the  north 
of  Erin,  and  he  drives  fog  out  of  himself  for  seven 
days  and  then  he  draws  it  in  for  seven  other 
days.  To-morrow  is  the  last  day  for  drawing  it 
in.  If  any  one  man  comes  near,  he  '11  swallow  him 
alive." 

When  the  cowherd  came  to  supper  in  the  even- 


Fin  MacCumhail,  295 

ing,  Fin  said  to  him :  "  I  am  going  to  have  a  feast 
and  need  fresh  beef.  Now  there  is  a  bullock  in 
that  same  valley  by  the  lake  in  the  north  of  Erin 
where  you  punished  the  serpent;  and  if  you  go 
there  and  bring  the  bullock  to  me,  you  '11  have  my 
thanks." 

"  I  '11  go,"  said  the  man,  "  the  first  thing  after 
breakfast  in  the  morning." 

So  off  he  went  next  morning;  and  when  he  came 
near  the  valley,  he  found  the  bullock  asleep  and 
drawing  in  the  last  of  the  fog;  and  soon  he  found 
himself  going  in  with  it.  So  he  caught  hold  of  a 
great  oak-tree  for  safety.  The  bullock  woke  up 
then  and  saw  him,  and  letting  a  roar  out  of  himself, 
faced  him,  and  gave  him  a  pitch  with  his  horn 
which  sent  him  seven  miles  over  the  top  of  a  wood. 
And  when  he  fell  to  the  ground,  the  bullock  was  on 
him  again  before  he  had  time  to  rise,  and  gave  him 
another  pitch  which  sent  him  back  and  broke 
three  ribs  in  his  body. 

"  This  will  never  do,"  said  the  man,  as  he  rose, 
and  pulling  up  an  oak-tree  by  the  roots  for  a  club, 
he  faced  the  bullock.  And  there  they  were  at  one 
another  for  five  days  and  nights,  till  the  bullock 
was  as  tame  as  a  cat  and  the  man  drove  him  home 
to  Fin's  castle. 

The  sentry  saw  them  coming  and  ran  inside  the 
gate  with  word.  "  Tell  the  man  to  tie  the  bullock 


296      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

to  that  oak-tree  beyond,"  said  Conan.  "We  don't 
want  him  near  this  place."  The  cowherd  tied  the 
bullock,  and  told  Fin  to  send  four  of  the  best 
butchers  in  Erin  to  kill  him  with  an  axe ;  and  the 
four  of  them  struck  him  one  after  another  and  any 
of  them  could  n't  knock  him. 

"Give  me  an  axe,"  said  the  man  to  the  butchers. 
They  gave  him  the  axe,  and  the  first  stroke  he 
gave,  he  knocked  the  bullock.  Then  they  began 
to  skin  him ;  but  the  man  did  n't  like  the  way  they 
were  doing  the  work,  so  he  took  his  sword  and  had 
three  quarters  of  the  bullock  skinned  before  they 
could  skin  one. 

Next  morning  the  cowherd  went  out  with  the 
cows ;  but  he  was  n't  long  gone  when  Conan  Maol 
came  to  Fin  and  said:  "  If  you  don't  put  an  end  to 
that  man,  he  '11  soon  put  an  end  to  you  and  to  me 
and  to  all  of  us,  so  there  won't  be  a  man  of  the 
Fenians  of  Erin  left  alive." 

"  How  could  I  put  an  end  to  a  man  like  him?" 
asked  Fin. 

"There  is  in  the  north  of  Erin,"  said  Conan, 
"  a  wild  sow  who  has  two  great  pigs  of  her  own ; 
and  she  and  her  two  pigs  have  bags  of  poison  in 
their  tails ;  and  when  they  see  any  man,  they  run  at 
him  and  shake  their  poison  bags ;  and  if  the  smallest 
drop  of  the  poison  touches  him,  it  is  death  to  him 
that  minute.  And,  if  by  any  chance  he  should 


Fin  MacCumhail.  297 

escape  the  wild  sow  and  the  pigs,  there  is  a  fox- 
man  called  the  Gruagach,  who  has  but  one  eye  and 
that  in  the  middle  of  his  forehead.  The  Gruagach 
carries  a  club  of  a  ton  weight,  and  if  the  cowherd 
gets  one  welt  of  that  club,  he  '11  never  trouble  the 
Fenians  of  Erin  again." 

Next  morning  Fin  called  up  the  cowherd  and 
said,  "  I  am  going  to  have  a  feast  in  this  castle,  and 
I  would  like  to  have  some  fresh  pork.  There  is  a 
wild  sow  in  the  north  of  Erin  with  two  pigs,  and  if 
you  bring  her  to  me  before  the  feast,  you  '11  have 
my  thanks." 

"  I  '11  go  and  bring  her  to  you,"  said  the  cowherd. 
So  after  breakfast  he  took  his  sword,  went  to  the 
north  of  Erin,  and  stole  up  to  the  sow  and  two 
pigs,  and  whipped  the  tails  off  the  three  of  them, 
before  they  knew  he  was  in  it.  Then  he  faced  the 
wild  sow  and  fought  with  her  for  four  days  and 
five  nights,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day  he 
knocked  her  dead.  At  the  last  blow,  his  sword 
stuck  in  her  backbone  and  he  could  n't  draw  it 
out.  But  with  one  pull  he  broke  the  blade,  and 
stood  there  over  her  with  only  the  hilt  in  his  hand. 
Then  he  put  his  foot  on  one  of  her  jaws,  took  the 
other  in  his  hands,  and  splitting  her  evenly  from 
the  nose  to  the  tail,  made  two  halves  of  her. 

He  threw  one  half  on  his  shoulder;  and  that 
minute  the  big  Gruagach  with  one  eye  in  his  head 


298       Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

came  along  and  made  an  offer  of  his  club  at  him 
to  kill  him.  But  the  cowherd  jumped  aside,  and 
catching  the  Gruagach  by  one  of  his  legs,  threw 
him  up  on  to  the  half  of  the  wild  sow  on  his  shoulder, 
and  taking  the  other  half  of  her  from  the  ground, 
clapped  that  on  the  top  of  the  Gruagach,  and  ran 
away  to  Fin's  castle  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry 
him. 

The  sentry  at  the  castle  gate  ran  in  and  said : 
"  The  cowherd  is  running  to  the  castle,  and  the  size 
of  a  mountain  on  his  back."  "  Go  out  now,"  said 
Conan  Maol,  "  and  stop  him  where  he  is,  or  he  '11 
throw  down  the  castle  if  he  comes  here  with  the 
load  that 's  on  him."  But  before  the  sentry  was 
back  at  his  place,  the  cowherd  was  at  the  gate 
shaking  the  load  off  his  back  and  the  castle  to  its 
foundations,  so  that  every  dish  and  vessel  in  it  was 
broken  to  bits. 

The  Gruagach  jumped  from  the  ground,  rubbed 
his  legs  and  every  part  of  him  that  was  sore  from 
the  treatment  he  got.  He  was  so  much  in  dread 
of  the  cowherd  that  he  ran  with  all  the  strength 
that  was  in  him,  and  never  stopped  to  look  back 
till  he  was  in  the  north  of  Erin. 

Next  morning  the  cowherd  went  out  with  the 
cows,  drove  them  back  in  the  evening,  and  while 
picking  the  thigh-bone  of  a  bullock  for  his  supper, 
Oscar,  son  of  Oisin,the  strongest  man  of  the  Fenians 


Fin  MacCumhail.  299 

of  Erin,  came  up  to  him  and  took  hold  of  the  bone 
to  pull  it  from  his  hand.  The  cowherd  held  one 
end  and  Oscar  the  other,  and  pulled  till  they  made 
two  halves  of  the  bone.  "  What  did  you  carry 
away?"  asked  the  cowherd.  "What  I  have  in  my 
hand,"  said  Oscar.  "  And  I  kept  what  I  held  in 
my  fist,"  said  the  cowherd.  "  There  is  that  for 
you  now,"  said  Oscar,  and  he  hit  him  a  slap. 

The  cowherd  said  no  word  in  answer,  but  next 
morning  he  asked  his  wages  of  Fin.  "  Oh,  then," 
said  Fin,  "  I  '11  pay  you  and  welcome,  for  you  are 
the  best  man  I  have  ever  had  or  met  with." 

Then  the  cowherd  went  away  to  Cahirciveen  in 
Kerry  where  he  had  an  enchanted  castle.  But  be- 
fore he  went  he  invited  Fin  MacCumhail  and  the 
Fenians  of  Erin  to  have  a  great  feast  with  him. 
"For,"  said  he  to  Fin,  "  I  'm  not  a  cowherd  at  all, 
but  the  son  of  the  king  of  Alba,  and  I  '11  give  you 
good  cheer." 

When  the  Fenians  came  to  the  place,  they 
found  the  finest  castle  that  could  be  seen.  There 
were  three  fires  in  each  room  and  seven  spits  at 
every  fire.  When  they  had  gone  and  sat  down 
in  their  places,  there  was  but  one  fire  in  each 
room. 

"  Rise  up,  every  man  of  you,"  said  Fin,  "  or  we 
are  lost ;  for  this  is  an  enchanted  place." 

They  tried  to  rise,  but  each  man  was  fastened  to 


300     Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

his  seat,  and  the  seat  to  the  floor ;  and  not  one  of 
them  could  stir.  Then  the  last  fire  went  out  and 
they  were  in  darkness. 

"Chew  your  thumb,"  said  Conan  to  Fin,  "and 
try  is  there  any  way  out  of  here."  Fin  chewed 
his  thumb  and  knew  what  trouble  they  were  in. 
Then  he  put  his  two  hands  into  his  mouth  and 
blew  the  old-time  whistle.  And  this  whistle  was 
heard  by  Pogan  and  Ceolan,  two  sons  of  Fin  who 
were  in  the  North  at  that  time,  one  fishing  and 
the  other  hurling. 

When  they  heard  the  whistle,  they  said :  "  Our 
father  and  the  Fenians  of  Erin  are  in  trouble."  And 
they  faced  towards  the  sound  and  never  stopped 
till  they  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  enchanted 
castle  of  the  son  of  Alba  at  Cahirciveen. 

"Who  is  there?"  asked  Fin. 

"  Your  two  sons,"  said  one  of  them. 

"  Well,"  said  Fin,  "  we  are  in  danger  of  death 
to-night.  That  cowherd  I  had  in  my  service  was 
no  cowherd  at  all,  but  the  son  of  the  king  of 
Alba ;  and  his  father  has  said  that  he  will  not  eat 
three  meals  off  one  table  without  having  my  head. 
There  is  an  army  now  on  the  road  to  kill  us  to- 
night. There  is  no  way  in  or  out  of  this  castle 
but  by  one  ford,  and  to  that  ford  the  army  of  the 
king  of  Alba  is  coming." 

The  two  sons  of  Fin  went  out  at  nightfall  and 


Fin  MacCumhail.  301 

stood  in  the  ford  before  the  army.  The  son  of 
the  king  of  Alba  knew  them  well,  and  calling 
each  by  name,  said:  "Won't  you  let  us  pass?" 
"  We  will  not,"  said  they ;  and  then  the  fight  be- 
gan. The  two  sons  of  Fin  MacCumhail,  Pogdn  and 
Ceolan,  destroyed  the  whole  army  and  killed  every 
man  except  the  son  of  the  king  of  Alba. 

After  the  battle  the  two  went  back  to  their 
father.  "  We  have  destroyed  the  whole  army  at 
the  ford,"  said  they. 

"  There  is  a  greater  danger  ahead,"  said  Fin. 
"  There  is  an  old  hag  coming  with  a  little  pot.  She 
will  dip  her  finger  in  the  pot,  touch  the  lips  of 
the  dead  men,  and  bring  the  whole  army  to  life. 
But  first  of  all  there  will  be  music  at  the  ford,  and 
if  you  hear  the  music,  you  '11  fall  asleep.  Now  go, 
but  if  you  do  not  overpower  the  old  hag,  we  are 
lost." 

"  We  '11  do  the  best  we  can,"  said  the  two  sons 
of  Fin. 

They  were  not  long  at  the  ford  when  one  said, 
"  I  am  falling  asleep  from  that  music."  "  So  am 
I,"  said  the  other.  "  Knock  your  foot  down  on 
mine,"  said  the  first.  The  other  kicked  his  foot 
and  struck  him,  but  no  use.  Then  each  took  his 
spear  and  drove  it  through  the  foot  of  the  other, 
but  both  fell  asleep  in  spite  of  the  spears. 

The  old  hag  went  on  touching  the  lips  of  the 


302      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

dead  men,  who  stood  up  alive ;  and  she  was  cross- 
ing the  ford  at  the  head  of  the  army  when  she 
stumbled  over  the  two  sleeping  brothers  and  spilt 
what  was  in  the  pot  over  their  bodies. 

They  sprang  up  fresh  and  well,  and  picking  up 
two  stones  of  a  ton  weight  each  that  were  there  in 
the  ford,  they  made  for  the  champions  of  Alban  and 
never  stopped  till  they  killed  the  last  man  of  them ; 
and  then  they  killed  the  old  hag  herself. 

Pogan  and  Ceolan  then  knocked  at  the  door  of 
the  castle. 

"  Who  's  there?  "  asked  Fin. 

"  Your  two  sons,"  said  they ;  "  and  we  have  killed 
all  the  champions  of  Alban  and  the  old  hag  as 
well." 

"  You  have  more  to  do  yet,"  said  Fin.  "There 
are  three  kings  in  the  north  of  Erin  who  have 
three  silver  goblets.  These  kings  are  holding  a 
feast  in  a  fort  to-day.  You  must  go  and  cut  the 
heads  off  the  three,  put  their  blood  in  the  goblets 
and  bring  them  here.  When  you  come,  rub  the 
blood  on  the  keyhole  of  the  door  and  it  will  open 
before  you.  When  you  come  in,  rub  the  seats 
and  we  shall  all  be  free." 

The  three  goblets  of  blood  were  brought  to 
Cahirciveen,  the  door  of  the  castle  flew  open,  and 
light  came  into  every  room.  The  brothers  rubbed 
blood  on  the  chairs  of  all  the  Fenians  of  Erin  and 


Fin  Mac Cum/tail.  303 

freed  them  all,  except  Conan  Maol,  who  had  no 
chair,  but  sat  on  the  floor  with  his  back  to  the  wall. 
When  they  came  to  him  the  last  drop  of  blood  was 
gone. 

All  the  Fenians  of  Erin  were  hurrying  past, 
anxious  to  escape,  and  paid  no  heed  to  Conan, 
who  had  never  a  good  word  in  his  mouth  for  any 
man.  Then  Conan  turned  to  Diarmuid,  and  said : 
"  If  a  woman  were  here  in  place  of  me,  you 
would  n't  leave  her  to  die  this  way."  Then  Diar- 
muid turned,  took  him  by  one  hand,  and  Goll 
MacMorna  by  the  other,  and  pulling  with  all  their 
might,  tore  him  from  the  wall  and  the  floor.  But 
if  they  did,  he  left  all  the  skin  of  his  back  from 
his  head  to  his  heels  on  the  floor^and  the  wall 
behind  him.  But  when  they  were  going  home 
through  the  hills  of  Tralee,  they  found  a  sheep 
on  the  way,  killed  it,  and  clapped  the  skin  on 
Conan.  The  sheepskin  grew  to  his  body ;  and  he 
was  so  well  and  strong  that  they  sheared  him  every 
year,  and  got  wool  enough  from  his  back  to  make 
flannel  and  frieze  for  the  Fenians  of  Erin  ever 
after. 


CUCtiLIN. 

HPHERE  was  a  king  in  a  land  not  far  from 
•»-  Greece  who  had  two  daughters,  and  the 
younger  was  fairer  than  the  elder  daughter. 

This  old  king  made  a  match  between  the  king 
of  Greece  and  his  own  elder  daughter ;  but  he  kept 
the  younger  one  hidden  away  till  after  the  mar- 
riage. Then  the  younger  daughter  came  forth  to 
view;  and  when  the  king  of  Greece  saw  her,  he 
would  n't  look  at  his  own  wife.  Nothing  would  do 
him  but  to  get  the  younger  sister  and  leave  the 
elder  at  home  with  her  father. 

The  king  would  n't  listen  to  this,  would  n't  agree 
to  the  change,  so  the  king  of  Greece  left  his  wife 
where  she  was,  went  home  alone  in  a  terrible  rage 
and  collected  all  his  forces  to  march  against  the 
kingdom  of  his  father-in-law. 

He  soon  conquered  the  king  and  his  army  and, 
so  far  as  he  was  able,  he  vexed  and  tormented  him. 
To  do  this  the  more  completely,  he  took  from  him 
a  rod  of  Druidic  spells,  enchantment,  and  ring  of 
youth  which  he  had,  and,  striking  the  elder  sister 
with  the  rod,  he  said :  "  You  will  be  a  serpent  of 


Cuculin.  305 

the  sea  and  live  outside  there  in  the  bay  by  the 
castle." 

Then  turning  to  the  younger  sister,  whose  name 
was  Gil  an  Og,  he  struck  her,  and  said :  "  You  '11 
be  a  cat  while  inside  this  castle,  and  have  your  own 
form  only  when  you  are  outside  the  walls." 

After  he  had  done  this,  the  king  of  Greece  went 
home  to  his  own  country,  taking  with  him  the  rod 
of  enchantment  and  the  ring  of  youth. 

The  king  died  in  misery  and  grief,  leaving  his 
two  daughters  spellbound. 

Now  there  was  a  Druid  in  that  kingdom,  and  the 
younger  sister  went  to  consult  him,  and  asked : 
"  Shall  I  ever  be  released  from  the  enchantment 
that's  on  me  now?" 

"  You  will  not,  unless  you  find  the  man  to  re- 
lease you ;  and  there  is  no  man  in  the  world  to 
do  that  but  a  champion  who  is  now  with  Fin  Mac- 
Cumhail  in  Erin." 

"  Well,  how  can  I  find  that  man?  "  asked  she. 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  Druid.  "  Do  you  make 
a  shirt  out  of  your  own  hair,  take  it  with  you,  and 
never  stop  till  you  land  in  Erin  and  find  Fin  and 
his  men ;  the  man  that  the  shirt  will  fit  is  the  man 
who  will  release  you." 

She  began  to  make  the  shirt  and  worked  without 
stopping  till  it  was  finished.  Then  she  went  on  her 
journey  and  never  rested  till  she  came  to  Erin  in 

20 


306      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

a  ship.  She  went  on  shore  and  inquired  where 
Fin  and  his  men  were  to  be  found  at  that  time  of 
the  year. 

"  You  will  find  them  at  Knock  an  Ar,"  was  the 
answer  she  got. 

She  went  to  Knock  an  Ar  carrying  the  shirt 
with  her.  The  first  man  she  met  was  Conan  Maol, 
and  she  said  to  him :  "  I  have  come  to  find  the 
man  this  shirt  will  fit.  From  the  time  one  man 
tries  it  all  must  try  till  I  see  the  man  it  fits." 

The  shirt  went  from  hand  to  hand  till  Cuculin 
put  it  on.  "Well,"  said  she,  "it  fits  as  your  own 
skin." 

Now  Gil  an  Og  told .  Cuculin  all  that  had  hap- 
pened, —  how  her  father  had  forced  her  sister  to 
marry  the  king  of  Greece,  how  this  king  had  made 
war  on  her  father,  enchanted  her  sister  and  herself, 
and  carried  off  the  rod  of  enchantment  with  the 
ring  of  youth,  and  how  the  old  Druid  said  the  man 
this  shirt  would  fit  was  the  only  man  in  the  world 
who  could  release  them. 

Now  Gil  an  Og  and  Cuculin  went  to  the  ship 
and  sailed  across  the  seas  to  her  country  and  went 
to  her  castle. 

"  You  '11  have  no  one  but  a  cat  for  company  to- 
night," said  Gil  an  Og.  "  I  have  the  form  of  a  cat 
inside  this  castle,  but  outside  I  have  my  own  ap- 
pearance. Your  dinner  is  ready,  go  in." 


Cuculin,  307 

After  the  dinner  Cuculin  went  to  another  room 
apart,  and  lay  down  to  rest  after  the  journey. 
The  cat  came  to  his  pillow,  sat  there  and  purred 
till  he  fell  asleep  and  slept  soundly  till  morning. 

When  he  rose  up,  a  basin  of  water,  and  every- 
thing he  needed  was  before  him,  and  his  breakfast 
ready.  He  walked  out  after  breakfast;  Gil  an  Og 
was  on  the  green  outside  before  him  and  said : 

"  If  you  are  not  willing  to  free  my  sister  and  my- 
self, I  shall  not  urge  you ;  but  if  you  do  free  us,  I 
shall  be  glad  and  thankful.  Many  king's  sons  and 
champions  before  you  have  gone  to  recover  the 
ring  and  the  rod;  but  they  have  never  come 
back." 

"Well,  whether  I  thrive  or  not,  I'll  venture," 
said  Cuculin. 

"  I  will  give  you,"  said  Gil  an  Og,  "  a  present 
such  as  I  have  never  given  before  to  any  man  who 
ventured  out  on  my  behalf;  I  will  give  you  the 
speckled  boat." 

Cuculin  took  leave  of  Gil  an  Og  and  sailed  away 
in  the  speckled  boat  to  Greece,  where  he  went 
to  the  king's  court,  and  challenged  him  to 
combat. 

The  king  of  Greece  gathered  his  forces  and  sent 
them  out  to  chastise  Cuculin.  He  killed  them  all 
to  the  last  man.  Then  Cuculin  challenged  the 
king  a  second  time. 


308      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  I  have  no  one  now  to  fight  but  myself,"  said 
the  king;  "  and  I  don't  think  it  becomes  me  to  go 
out  and  meet  the  like  of  you." 

"  If  you  don't  come  out  to  me,"  said  Cuculin, 
"  I  '11  go  in  to  you  and  cut  the  head  off  you  in 
your  own  castle." 

"  That  "s  enough  of  impudence  from  you,  you 
scoundrel,"  said  the  king  of  Greece.  "  I  won't  have 
you  come  into  my  castle,  but  I  '11  meet  you  on  the 
open  plain." 

The  king  went  out,  and  they  fought  till  Cuculin 
got  the  better  of  him,  bound  him  head  and  heels, 
and  said :  "  I  '11  cut  the  head  off  you  now  unless 
you  give  me  the  ring  of  youth  and  the  rod  of 
enchantment  that  you  took  from  the  father  of 
Gil  an  Og." 

"  Well,  I  did  carry  them  away,"  said  the  king, 
"  but  it  would  n't  be  easy  for  me  now  to  give  them 
to  you  or  to  her ;  for  there  was  a  man  who  came 
and  carried  them  away,  who  could  take  them  from 
you  and  from  me,  and  from  as  many  more  of  us,  if 
they  were  here." 

"  Who  was  that  man?  "  asked  Cuculin. 

"  His  name,"  said  the  king,  "  is  Lug1  Longhand. 

And  if  I  had  known  what  you  wanted,  there  would 

have    been    no    difference    between    us.      I  '11   tell 

you  how  I  lost  the  ring  and  rod  and  I  '11  go  with 

1  Pronounced  "Loog." 


Cuculin.  309 

you  and  show  you  where  Lug  Longhand  lives. 
But  do  you  come  to  my  castle.  We  '11  have  a 
good  time  together." 

They  set  out  next  day,  and  never  stopped  till 
they  came  opposite  Lug  Longhand  castle,  and 
Cuculin  challenged  his  forces  to  combat. 

"  I  have  no  forces,"  said  Lug,  "  but  I  '11  fight 
you  myself."  So  the  combat  began,  and  they 
spent  the  whole  day  at  one  another,  and  neither 
gained  the  victory. 

The  king  of  Greece  himself  put  up  a  tent  on 
the  green  in  front  of  the  castle,  and  prepared 
everything  necessary  to  eat  and  drink  (there  was 
no  one  else  to  do  it).  After  breakfast  next  day, 
Cuculin  and  Lug  began  fighting  again.  The  king 
of  Greece  looked  on  as  the  day  before. 

They  fought  the  whole  day  till  near  evening, 
when  Cuculin  got  the  upper  hand  of  Lug  Long- 
hand and  bound  him  head  and  heels,  saying:  "  I  '11 
cut  the  head  off  you  now  unless  you  give  me  the 
rod  and  the  ring  that  you  carried  away  from  the 
king  of  Greece." 

"  Oh,  then,"  said  Lug,  "  it  would  be  hard  for  me 
to  give  them  to  you  or  to  him ;  for  forces  came  and 
took  them  from  me ;  and  they  would  have  taken 
them  from  you  and  from  him,  if  you  had  been  here." 

"  Who  in  the  world  took  them  from  you  ?  "  asked 
the  king  of  Greece. 


3 1  o      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Release  me  from  this  bond,  and  come  to  my 
castle,  and  I  '11  tell  you  the  whole  story,"  said  Lug 
Longhand. 

Cuculin  released  him,  and  they  went  to  the 
castle.  They  got  good  reception  and  entertain- 
ment from  Lug  that  night,  and  the  following  morn- 
ing as  well.  He  said :  "  The  ring  and  the  rod  were 
taken  from  me  by  the  knight  of  the  island  of  the 
Flood.  This  island  is  surrounded  by  a  chain,  and 
there  is  a  ring  of  fire  seven  miles  wide  between  the 
chain  and  the  castle.  No  man  can  come  near  the 
island  without  breaking  the  chain,  and  the  moment 
the  chain  is  broken  the  fire  stops  burning  at  that 
place  ;  and  the  instant  the  fire  goes  down  the  knight 
rushes  out  and  attacks  and  slays  every  man  that 's 
before  him." 

The  king  of  Greece,  Cuculin,  and  Lug  Longhand 
now  sailed  on  in  the  speckled  boat  towards  the 
island  of  the  Flood.  On  the  following  morning 
when  the  speckled  boat  struck  the  chain,  she  was 
thrown  back  three  days'  sail,  and  was  near  being 
sunk,  and  would  have  gone  to  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  but  for  her  own  goodness  and  strength. 

As  soon  as  Cuculin  saw  what  had  happened,  he 
took  the  oars,  rowed  on  again,  and  drove  the  ves- 
sel forward  with  such  venom  that  she  cut  through 
the  chain  and  went  one  third  of  her  length  on  to 
dry  land.  That  moment  the  fire  was  quenched 


Cuculin.  311 

where  the  vessel  struck,  and  when  the  knight  of  the 
Island  saw  the  fire  go  out,  he  rushed  to  the  shore 
and  met  Cuculin,  the  king  of  Greece,  and  Lug 
Longhand. 

When  Cuculin  saw  him,  he  threw  aside  his 
weapons,  caught  him,  raised  him  above  his  head, 
hurled  him  down  on  the  flat  of  his  back,  bound 
him  head  and  heels,  and  said :  "  I  '11  cut  the  head 
off  you  unless  you  give  me  the  ring  and  the  rod 
that  you  carried  away  from  Lug  Longhand." 

"  I  took  them  from  him,  it 's  true,"  said  the 
knight;  "  but  it  would  be  hard  for  me  to  give  them 
to  you  now ;  for  a  man  came  and  took  them  from 
me,  who  would  have  taken  them  from  you  and  all 
that  are  with  you,  and  as  many  more  if  they  had 
been  here  before  him." 

"  Who  in  the  world  could  that  man  be?  "  asked 
Cuculin. 

"  The  dark  Gruagach  of  the  Northern  Island. 
Release  me,  and  come  to  my  castle.  I  '11  tell  you 
all  and  entertain  you  well." 

He  took  them  to  his  castle,  gave  them  good 
cheer,  and  told  them  all  about  the  Gruagach  and 
his  island.  Next  morning  all  sailed  away  in 
Cuculin's  vessel,  which  they  had  left  at  the  shore 
of  the  island,  and  never  stopped  till  they  came  to 
the  Gruagach's  castle,  and  pitched  their  tents  in 
front  of  it. 


312      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

Then  Cuculin  challenged  the  Gruagach.  The 
others  followed  after  to  know  would  he  thrive. 
The  Gruagach  came  out  and  faced  Cuculin,  and 
they  began  and  spent  the  whole  day  at  one  another 
and  neither  of  them  gained  the  upper  hand.  When 
evening  came,  they  stopped  and  prepared  for 
supper  and  the  night. 

Next  day  after  breakfast  Cuculin  challenged 
the  Gruagach  again,  and  they  fought  till  evening ; 
when  Cuculin  got  the  better  in  the  struggle,  dis- 
armed the  Gruagach,  bound  him,  and  said :  "  Un- 
less you  give  up  the  rod  of  enchantment  and  the 
ring  of  youth  that  you  took  from  the  knight  of  the 
island  of  the  Flood,  I  '11  cut  the  head  off  you 
now." 

"  I  took  them  from  him,  't  is  true ;  but  there  was 
a  man  named  Thin-in-Iron,  who  took  them  from 
me,  and  he  would  have  taken  them  from  you  and 
from  me,  and  all  that  are  here,  if  there  were  twice 
as  many.  He  is  such  a  man  that  sword  cannot  cut 
him,  fire  cannot  burn  him,  water  cannot  drown  him, 
and  't  is  no  easy  thing  to  get  the  better  of  him.  But 
if  you  '11  free  me  now  and  come  to  my  castle,  I  '11 
treat  you  well  and  tell  you  all  about  him."  Cuculin 
agreed  to  this. 

Next  morning  they  would  not  stop  nor  be 
satisfied  till  they  went  their  way.  They  found  the 
castle  of  Thin-in-Iron,  and  Cuculin  challenged  him 


Cuculin.  313 

to  combat.  They  fought ;  and  he  was  cutting  the 
flesh  from  Cuculin,  but  Cuculin's  sword  cut  no 
flesh  from  him.  They  fought  till  Cuculin  said: 
"  It  is  time  now  to  stop  till  to-morrow." 

Cuculin  was  scarcely  able  to  reach  the  tent. 
They  had  to  support  him  and  put  him  to  bed.  Now, 
who  should  come  to  Cuculin  that  night  but  Gil 
an  Og,  and  she  said :  "  You  have  gone  further 
than  any  man  before  you,  and  I  '11  cure  you  now, 
and  you  need  go  no  further  for  the  rod  of  enchant- 
ment and  the  ring  of  youth." 

"  Well,"  said  Cuculin,  "  I  '11  never  give  over  till  I 
knock  another  day's  trial  out  of  Thin-in-Iron." 

When  it  was  time  for  rest,  Gil  an  Og  went  away, 
and  Cuculin  fell  asleep  for  himself.  On  the 
following  morning  all  his  comrades  were  up  and 
facing  his  tent.  They  thought  to  see  him  dead,  but 
he  was  in  as  good  health  as  ever. 

They  prepared  breakfast,  and  after  breakfast 
Cuculin  went  before  the  door  of  the  castle  to 
challenge  his  enemy. 

Thin-in-Iron  thrust  his  head  out  and  said:  "That 
man  I  fought  yesterday  has  come  again  to-day. 
It  would  have  been  a  good  deed  if  I  had  cut 
the  head  off  him  last  night.  Then  he  would  n't  be 
here  to  trouble  me  this  morning.  I  won't  come 
home  this  day  till  I  bring  his  head  with  me.  Then 
I  '11  have  peace." 


3 1 4     Myths  and  Folk-L  ore  of  Ireland. 

They  met  in  combat  and  fought  till  the  night  was 
coming.  Then  Thin-in-Iron  cried  out  for  a  cessa- 
tion, and  if  he  did,  Cuculin  was  glad  to  give  it;  for 
his  sword  had  no  effect  upon  Thin-in-Iron  except 
to  tire  and  nearly  kill  him  (he  was  enchanted  and 
no  arms  could  cut  him).  When  Thin-in-Iron  went 
to  his  castle,  he  threw  up  three  sups  of  blood,  and 
said  to  his  housekeeper:  "Though  his  sword  could 
not  penetrate  me,  he  has  nearly  broken  my  heart." 

Cuculin  had  to  be  carried  to  his  tent.  His  com- 
rades laid  him  on  his  bed  and  said :  "  Whoever 
came  and  healed  him  yesterday,  may  be  the  same 
will  be  here  to-night."  They  went  away  and  were 
not  long  gone  when  Gil  an  Og  came  and  said : 
"  Cuculin,  if  you  had  done  my  bidding,  you 
would  n't  be  as  you  are  to-night.  But  if  you  neglect 
my  words  now,  you  '11  never  see  my  face  again. 
I  '11  cure  you  this  time  and  make  you  as  well  as 
ever ;  "  and  whatever  virtue  she  had  she  healed  him 
so  he  was  as  strong  as  before. 

"Oh,  then,"  said  Cuculin,  "whatever  comes  on 
me  I  '11  never  turn  back  till  I  knock  another  day's 
trial  out  of  Thin-in-Iron." 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  you  are  a  stronger  man  than 
he,  but  there  is  no  good  in  working  at  him  with  a 
sword.  Throw  your  sword  aside  to-morrow,  and 
you  '11  get  the  better  of  him  and  bind  him.  You  '11 
not  see  me  again." 


Cuculin.  3 1 5 

She  went  away  and  he  fell  asleep.  His  com- 
rades came  in  the  morning  and  found  him  sleeping. 
They  got  breakfast,  and,  after  eating,  Cuculin  went 
out  and  called  a  challenge. 

"  Oh,  't  is  the  same  man  as  yesterday,"  said 
Thin-in-Iron,  "  and  if  I  had  cut  the  head  off  him 
then,  it  would  n't  be  he  that  would  trouble  me 
to-day.  If  I  live  for  it,  I  '11  bring  his  head  in  my 
hand  to-night,  and  he  '11  never  disturb  me  again." 

When  Cuculin  saw  Thin-in-Iron  coming,  he 
threw  his  sword  aside,  and  facing  him,  caught  him 
by  the  body,  raised  him  up,  then  dashed  him  to 
the  ground,  and  said, "  If  you  don't  give  me  what  I 
want,  I  '11  cut  the  head  off  you." 

"  What  do  you  want  of  me  ?  "  asked  Thin-in-Iron. 

"  I  want  the  rod  of  enchantment  and  the  ring  of 
youth  you  carried  from  the  Gruagach." 

"  I  did  indeed  carry  them  from  him,  but  it  would 
be  no  easy  thing  for  me  to  give  them  to  you  or 
any  other  man ;  for  a  force  came  which  took  them 
from  me." 

"What  could  take  them  from  you?"  asked 
Cuculin. 

"  The  queen  of  the  Wilderness,  an  old  hag  that 
has  them  now.  But  release  me  from  this  bondage 
and  I  '11  take  you  to  my  castle  and  entertain  you 
well,  and  I  '11  go  with  you  and  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany to  see  how  will  you  thrive." 


3 1 6      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

So  he  took  Cuculin  and  his  friends  to  the  castle 
and  entertained  them  joyously,  and  he  said : 
"  The  old  hag,  the  queen  of  the  Wilderness,  lives 
in  a  round  tower,  which  is  always  turning  on 
wheels.  There  is  but  one  entrance  to  the  tower, 
and  that  high  above  the  ground,  and  in  the  one 
chamber  in  which  she  lives,  keeping  the  ring  and 
the  rod,  is  a  chair,  and  she  has  but  to  sit  on  the 
chair  and  wish  herself  in  any  part  of  the  world,  and 
that  moment  she  is  there.  She  has  six  lines  of 
guards  protecting  her  tower,  and  if  you  pass  all 
of  these,  you  '11  do  what  no  man  before  you  has 
done  to  this  day.  The  first  guards  are  two  lions 
that  rush  out  to  know  which  of  them  will  get  the 
first  bite  out  of  the  throat  of  any  one  that  tries  to 
pass.  The  second  are  seven  men  with  iron  hurlies 
and  an  iron  ball,  and  with  their  hurlies  they  wallop 
the  life  out  of  any  man  that  goes  their  way.  The 
third  is  Hung-up-Naked,  who  hangs  on  a  tree  with 
his  toes  to  the  earth,  his  head  cut  from  his  shoul- 
ders and  lying  on  the  ground,  and  who  kills  every 
man  who  comes  near  him.  The  fourth  is  the  bull 
of  the  Mist  that  darkens  the  woods  for  seven  miles 
around,  and  destroys  everything  that  enters  the 
Mist.  The  fifth  are  seven  cats  with  poison  tails ; 
and  one  drop  of  their  poison  would  kill  the 
strongest  man." 

Next  morning  all  went  with  Cuculin  as  far  as  the 


Cuculin.  317 

lions  who  guarded  the  queen  of  the  Wilderness, 
an  old  hag  made  young  by  the  ring  of  youth. 
The  two  lions  ran  at  Cuculin  to  see  which  would 
have  the  first  bite  out  of  him. 

Cuculin  wore  a  red  silk  scarf  around  his  neck 
and  had  a  fine  head  of  hair.  He  cut  the  hair  off 
his  head  and  wound  it  around  one  hand,  took  his 
scarf  and  wrapped  it  around  the  other.  Then  rush- 
ing at  the  lions,  he  thrust  a  hand  down  the  throat 
of  each  lion  (for  lions  can  bite  neither  silk  nor 
hair).  He  pulled  the  livers  and  lights  out  of  the 
two  and  they  fell  dead  before  him.  His  comrades 
looking  on,  said :  "  You  '11  thrive  now  since  you 
have  done  this  deed ;  "  and  they  left  him  and  went 
home,  each  to  his  own  country. 

Cuculin  went  further.  The  next  people  he  met 
were  the  seven  men  with  the  iron  hurlies  (ball 
clubs),  and  they  said;  "T  is  long  since  any  man 
walked  this  way  to  us ;  we  '11  have  sport  now." 

The  first  one  said :  "  Give  him  a  touch  of  the 
hurly  and  let  the  others  do  the  same;  and  we'll 
wallop  him  till  he  is  dead." 

Now  Cuculin  drew  his  sword  and  cut  the  head 
off  the  first  man  before  he  could  make  an  offer  of 
the  hurly  at  him ;  and  then  he  did  the  same  to  the 
other  six. 

He  went  on  his  way  till  he  came  to  Hung-up- 
Naked,  who  was  hanging  from  a  tree,  his  head  on 


3 1 8     Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

the  ground  near  him.  The  queen  of  the  Wilderness 
had  fastened  him  to  the  tree  because  he  would  n't 
marry  her;  and  she  said:  "  If  any  man  comes  who 
will  put  your  head  on  you,  you  '11  be  free."  And 
she  laid  the  injunction  on  him  to  kill  every  man 
who  tried  to  pass  his  way  without  putting  the 
head  on  him. 

Cuculin  went  up,  looked  at  him,  and  saw  heaps 
of  bones  around  the  tree.  The  body  said  :  "  You 
can't  go  by  here.  I  fight  with  every  man  who  tries 
to  pass." 

"  Well,  I  'm  not  going  to  fight  with  a  man  unless 
he  has  a  head  on  him.  Take  your  head."  And 
Cuculin,  picking  up  the  head,  clapped  it  on  the 
body,  and  said,  "  Now  I  '11  fight  with  you  !  " 

The  man  said :  "  I  'm  all  right  now.  I  know 
where  you  are  going.  I  '11  stay  here  till  you  come ; 
if  you  conquer  you  '11  not  forget  me.  Take  the 
head  off  me  now;  put  it  where  you  found  it;  and 
if  you  succeed,  remember  that  I  shall  be  here 
before  you  on  your  way  home." 

Cuculin  went  on,  but  soon  met  the  bull  of  the 
Mist  that  covered  seven  miles  of  the  wood  with 
thick  mist.  When  the  bull  saw  him,  he  made  at 
him  and  stuck  a  horn  in  his  ribs  and  threw  him 
three  miles  into  the  wood,  against  a  great  oak 
tree  and  broke  three  ribs  in  his  side. 

"  Well,"  said  Cuculin,  when  he  recovered,  "  if  I 


Cuculin.  319 

get  another  throw  like  that,  I  '11  not  be  good  for 
much  exercise."  He  was  barely  on  his  feet  when 
the  bull  was  at  him  again ;  but  when  he  came  up 
he  caught  the  bull  by  both  horns  and  away  they 
went  wrestling  and  struggling.  For  three  days 
and  nights  Cuculin  kept  the  bull  in  play,  till  the 
morning  of  the  fourth  day,  when  he  put  him  on 
the  flat  of  his  back.  Then  he  turned  him  on  the 
side,  and  putting  a  foot  on  one  horn  and  taking  the 
other  in  his  two  hands,  he  said  :  "  T  is  well  I  earned 
you ;  there  is  not  a  stitch  on  me  that  is  n't  torn  to 
rags  from  wrestling  with  you."  He  pulled  the 
bull  asunder  from  his  horns  to  his  tail,  into  two 
equal  parts,  and  said :  "  Now  that  I  have  you  in 
two,  it's  in  quarters  I'll  put  you."  He  took  his 
sword,  and  when  he  struck  the  backbone  of  the 
bull,  the  sword  remained  in  the  bone  and  he 
could  n't  pull  it  out. 

He  walked  away  and  stood  awhile  and  looked. 
"  T  is  hard  to  say,"  said  he,  "  that  any  good 
champion  would  leave  his  sword  behind  him."  So 
he  went  back  and  made  another  pull  and  took  the 
hilt  off  his  sword,  leaving  the  blade  in  the  back  of 
the  bull.  Then  he  went  away  tattered  and  torn, 
the  hilt  in  his  hand,  and  he  turned  up  towards  the 
forge  of  the  Strong  Smith.  One  of  the  Smith's 
boys  was  out  for  coal  at  the  time :  he  saw  Cuculin 
coming  with  the  hilt  in  his  hand,  and  ran  in,  say- 


320      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

ing :  "  There  is  a  man  coming  up  and  he  looks 
like  a  fool ;  we  '11  have  fun !  " 

"  Hold  your  tongue  !  "  said  the  master.  "  Have 
you  heard  any  account  of  the  bull  of  the  Mist 
these  three  days  ?  " 

"  We  have  not,"  said  the  boys. 

"  Perhaps,"  said  the  Strong  Smith,  "  that 's  a 
good  champion  that 's  coming,  and  do  you  mind 
yourselves." 

At  that  moment  Cuculin  walked  in  to  the  forge 
where  twelve  boys  and  the  master  were  working. 
He  saluted  them  and  asked,  "  Can  you  put  a  blade 
in  this  hilt?  " 

"We  can,"  said  the  master.  They  put  in  the 
blade.  Cuculin  raised  the  sword  and  took  a  shake 
out  of  it  and  broke  it  to  bits. 

"  This  is  a  rotten  blade,"  said  he.  "  Go  at  it 
again." 

They  made  a  second  blade.  The  boys  were  in 
dread  of  him  now.  He  broke  the  second  blade  in 
the  same  way  as  the  first.  They  made  six  blades, 
one  stronger  than  the  other.  He  did  the  same  to 
them  all. 

"  There  is  no  use  in  talking,"  said  the  Strong 
Smith ;  "  we  have  no  stuff  that  would  make  a  right 
blade  for  you.  Go  down  now,"  said  he  to  two  of 
the  boys,  "  and  bring  up  an  old  sword  that 's  down 
in  the  stable  full  of  rust." 


Cuculin.  321 

They  went  and  brought  up  the  sword  on  two 
hand-spikes  between  them ;  it  was  so  heavy  that 
one  could  n't  carry  it.  They  gave  it  to  Cuculin, 
and  with  one  blow  on  his  heel  he  knocked  the  dust 
from  it  and  went  out  at  the  door  and  took  a  shake 
out  of  it;  and  if  he  did,  he  darkened  the  whole 
place  with  the  rust  from  the  blade. 

"  This  is  my  sword,  whoever  made  it,"  said  he. 

"  It  is,"  said  the  master;  "it's  yours  and  wel- 
come. I  know  who  you  are  now,  and  where  you 
are  going.  Remember  that  I  'm  in  bondage  here." 
The  Strong  Smith  took  Cuculin  then  to  his  house, 
gave  him  refreshment  and  clothes  for  the  journey. 
When  he  was  ready,  the  Smith  said :  "  I  hope 
you  '11  thrive.  You  have  done  a  deal  more  than 
any  man  that  ever  walked  this  way  before.  There 
is  nothing  now  to  stand  in  your  way  till  you  come 
to  the  seven  cats  outside  the  turning  tower.  If 
they  shake  their  tails  and  a  drop  of  poison  comes 
on  you,  it  will  penetrate  to  your  heart.  You  must 
sweep  off  their  tails  with  your  sword.  'T  is  equal 
to  you  what  their  bodies  will  do  after  that." 

Cuculin  soon  came  to  them  and  there  was  n't 
one  of  the  seven  cats  he  did  n't  strip  of  her  tail 
before  she  knew  he  was  in  it.  He  cared  nothing 
for  the  bodies  so  he  had  the  tails.  The  cats  ran 
away. 

Mow  he  faced  the  tower  turning  on  wheels.  The 
21 


322      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

queen  of  the  Wilderness  was  in  it.  He  had  been 
told  by  Thin-in-Iron  that  he  must  cut  the  axle. 
He  found  the  axle,  cut  it,  and  the  tower  stopped 
that  instant.  Cuculin  made  a  spring  and  went  in 
through  the  single  passage. 

The  old  hag  was  preparing  to  sit  on  the  chair  as 
she  saw  him  coming.  He  sprang  forward,  pushed 
the  chair  away  with  one  hand,  and,  catching  her  by 
the  back  of  the  neck  with  the  other,  said :  "  You 
are  to  lose  your  head  now,  old  woman !  " 

"  Spare  me,  and  what  you  want  you  '11  get,"  said 
she.  "  I  have  the  ring  of  youth  and  the  rod  of 
enchantment,"  and  she  gave  them  to  him.  He 
put  the  ring  on  his  ringer,  and  saying,  "  You  '11 
never  do  mischief  again  to  man !  "  he  turned  her 
face  to  the  entrance,  and  gave  her  a  kick.  Out 
she  flew  through  the  opening  and  down  to  the 
ground,  where  she  broke  her  neck  and  died  on 
the  spot. 

Cuculin  made  the  Strong  Smith  king  over  all 
the  dominions  of  the  queen  of  the  Wilderness,  and 
proclaimed  that  any  person  in  the  country  who 
refused  to  obey  the  new  king  would  be  put  to 
death. 

Cuculin  turned  back  at  once,  and  travelled  till 
he  came  to  Hung-up-Naked.  He  took  him  down 
and,  putting  the  head  on  his  body,  struck  him  a 
blow  of  the  rod  and  made  the  finest  looking  man 


Cuculin.  323 

of  him  that  could  be  found.  The  man  went  back 
to  his  own  home  happy  and  well. 

Cuculin  never  stopped  till  he  came  to  the  castle 
of  Gil  an  Og.  She  was  outside  with  a  fine  wel- 
come before  him;  and  why  not,  to  be  sure,  for 
he  had  the  rod  of  enchantment  and  the  ring  of 
youth ! 

When  she  entered  the  castle  and  took  the  form 
of  a  cat,  he  struck  her  a  blow  of  the  rod  and  she 
gained  the  same  form  and  face  she  had  before 
the  king  of  Greece  struck  her.  Then  he  asked, 
"Where  is  your  sister?" 

"  In  the  lake  there  outside,"  answered  Gil  an  Og, 
"  in  the  form  of  a  sea-serpent."  She  went  out  with 
him,  and  the  moment  they  came  to  the  edge  of 
the  lake  the  sister  rose  up  near  them.  Then 
Cuculin  struck  her  with  the  rod  and  she  came  to 
land  in  her  own  shape  and  countenance. 

Next  day  they  saw  a  deal  of  vessels  facing  the 
harbor,  and  what  should  they  be  but  a  fleet  of 
ships,  and  on  the  ships  were  the  king  of  Greece, 
Lug  Longhand,  the  knight  of  the  island  of  the 
Flood,  the  Dark  Gruagach  of  the  Northern  Island 
and  Thin-in-Iron :  and  they  came  each  in  his 
own  vessel  to  know  was  there  any  account  of 
Cuculin.  There  was  good  welcome  for  them  all, 
and  when  they  had  feasted  and  rejoiced  together 
Cuculin  married  Gil  an  Og.  The  king  of  Greece 


324      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

took  Gil  an  Og's  sister,  who  was  his  own  wife  at 
first,  and  went  home. 

Cuculin  went  away  himself  with  his  wife  Gil  an 
Og,  never  stopping  till  he  came  to  Erin ;  and  when 
he  came,  Fin  MacCumhail  and  his  men  were  at 
KilConaly,  near  the  river  Shannon. 

When  Cuculin  went  from  Erin  he  left  a  son 
whose  mother  was  called  the  Virago  of  Alba: 
she  was  still  alive  and  the  son  was  eighteen  years 
old.  When  she  heard  that  Cuculin  had  brought 
Gil  an  Og  to  Erin,  she  was  enraged  with  jealousy 
and  madness.  She  had  reared  the  son,  whose 
name  was  Conlan,  like  any  king's  son,  and  now 
giving  him  his  arms  of  a  champion  she  told  him  to 
go  to  his  father. 

"  I  would,"  said  he,  "  if  I  knew  who  my  father  is." 

"  His  name  is  Cuculin,  and  he  is  with  Fin 
MacCumhail.  I  bind  you  not  to  yield  to  any 
man,"  said  she  to  her  son,  "  nor  tell  your  name  to 
any  man  till  you  fight  him  out." 

Conlan  started  from  Ulster  where  his  mother 
was,  and  never  stopped  till  he  was  facing  Fin  and 
his  men,  who  were  hunting  that  day  along  the 
cliffs  of  KilConaly. 

When  the  young  man  came  up  Fin  said,  "There 
is  a  single  man  facing  us." 

Conan  Maol  said,  "  Let  some  one  go  against 
him,  ask  who  he  is  and  what  he  wants." 


Cuculin.  325 

"  I  never  give  an  account  of  myself  to  any  man," 
said  Conldn,  "  till  I  get  an  account  from  him." 

"  There  is  no  man  among  us,"  said  Conan, 
"  bound  in  that  way  but  Cuculin."  They  called  on 
Cuculin ;  he  came  up  and  the  two  fought.  Conldn 
knew  by  the  description  his  mother  had  given  that 
Cuculin  was  his  father,  but  Cuculin  did  not  know 
his  son.  Every  time  Conlan  aimed  his  spear  he 
threw  it  so  as  to  strike  the  ground  in  front  of 
Cuculin's  toe,  but  Cuculin  aimed  straight  at  him. 

They  were  at  one  another  three  days  and  three 
nights.  The  son  always  sparing  the  father,  the 
father  never  sparing  the  son. 

Conan  Maol  came  to  them  the  fourth  morning. 
"  Cuculin,"  said  he,  "  I  did  n't  expect  to  see  any 
man  standing  against  you  three  days,  and  you  such 
a  champion." 

When  Conlan  heard  Conan  Maol  urging  the 
father  to  kill  him,  he  gave  a  bitter  look  at  Conan, 
and  forgot  his  guard.  Cuculin's  spear  went  through 
his  head  that  minute,  and  he  fell.  "  I  die  of  that 
blow  from  my  father,"  said  he. 

"  Are  you  my  son?  "    said  Cuculin. 

"  I  am,"  said  Conlan. 

Cuculin  took  his  sword  and  cut  the  head  off  him 
sooner  than  leave  him  in  the  punishment  and  pain 
he  was  in.  Then  he  faced  all  the  people,  and  Fin 
was  looking  on. 


326      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  There  's  trouble  on  Cuculin,"  said  Fin. 

"  Chew  your  thumb,"  said  Conan  Maol,  "  to 
know  what 's  on  him." 

Fin  chewed  his  thumb,  and  said,  "  Cuculin  is 
after  killing  his  own  son,  and  if  I  and  all  my  men 
were  to  face  him  before  his  passion  cools,  at  the 
end  of  seven  days,  he  'd  destroy  every  man  of  us." 

"  Go  now,"  said  Conan,  "  and  bind  him  to  go 
down  to  Bale  strand  and  give  seven  days'  fighting 
against  the  waves  of  the  sea,  rather  than  kill  us 
all." 

So  Fin  bound  him  to  go  down.  When  he  went 
to  Bale  strand  Cuculin  found  a  great  white  stone. 
He  grasped  his  sword  in  his  right  hand  and  cried 
out:  "  If  I  had  the  head  of  the  woman  who  sent 
her  son  into  peril  of  death  at  my  hand,  I  'd  split  it 
as  I  split  this  stone,"  and  he  made  four  quarters  of 
the  stone.  Then  he  strove  with  the  waves  seven 
days  and  nights  till  he  fell  from  hunger  and  weak- 
ness, and  the  waves  went  over  him. 


OISIN   IN  TIR  NA  N-OG. 

THERE  was  a  king  in  Tir  na  n-Og  (the  land 
of  Youth)  who  held  the  throne  and  crown 
for  many  a  year  against  all  comers ;  and  the  law 
of  the  kingdom  was  that  every  seventh  year  the 
champions  and  best  men  of  the  country  should 
run  for  the  office  of  king. 

Once  in  seven  years  they  all  met  at  the  front  of 
the  palace  and  ran  to  the  top  of  a  hill  two  miles 
distant.  On  the  top  of  that  hill  was  a  chair  and 
the  man  that  sat  first  in  the  chair  was  king  of  Tir 
na  n-Og  for  the  next  seven  years.  After  he  had 
ruled  for  ages,  the  king  became  anxious ;  he  was 
afraid  that  some  one  might  sit  in  the  chair  before 
him,  and  take  the  crown  off  his  head.  So  he 
called  up  his  Druid  one  day  and  asked :  "  How 
long  shall  I  keep  the  chair  to  rule  this  land,  and 
will  any  man  sit  in  it  before  me  and  take  the 
crown  off  my  head  ?  " 

"  You  will  keep  the  chair  and  the  crown  for- 
ever," said  the  Druid,  "  unless  your  own  son-in- 
law  takes  them  from  you." 

The  king  had  no  sons  and  but  one  daughter, 
the  finest  woman  in  Tir  na  n-Og;  and  the  like  of 


328       Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

her  could  not  be  found  in  Erin  or  any  kingdom  in 
the  world.  When  the  king  heard  the  words  of 
the  Druid,  he  said,  "I  '11  have  no  son-in-law,  for 
I  '11  put  the  daughter  in  a  way  no  man  will  marry 
her." 

Then  he  took  a  rod  of  Druidic  spells,  and  calling 
the  daughter  up  before  him,  he  struck  her  with  the 
rod,  and  put  a  pig's  head  on  her  in  place  of  her 
own. 

Then  he  sent  the  daughter  away  to  her  own 
place  in  the  castle,  and  turning  to  the  Druid  said : 
"  There  is  no  man  that  will  marry  her  now." 

When  the  Druid  saw  the  face  that  was  on  the 
princess  with  the  pig's  head  that  the  father  gave 
her,  he  grew  very  sorry  that  he  had  given  such 
information  to  the  king;  and  some  time  after  he 
went  to  see  the  princess. 

"  Must  I  be  in  this  way  forever?"  asked  she  of 
the  Druid. 

"  You  must,"  said  he,  "  till  you  marry  one  of 
the  sons  of  Fin  MacCumhail  in  Erin.  If  you  marry 
one  of  Fin's  sons,  you  '11  be  freed  from  the  blot 
that  is  on  you  now,  and  get  back  your  own  head 
and  countenance." 

When  she  heard  this  she  was  impatient  in  her 
mind,  and  could  never  rest  till  she  left  Tir  na  n-Og 
and  came  to  Erin.  When  she  had  inquired  she 
heard  that  Fin  and  the  Fenians  of  Erin  were  at 


Oisin  in  Tir  na  n-Og.  329 

that  time  living  on  Knock  an  Ar,  and  she  made 
her  way  to  the  place  without  delay  and  lived  there 
a  while;  and  when  she  saw  Oisin,  he  pleased  her; 
and  when  she  found  out  that  he  was  a  son  of  Fin 
MacCumhail,  she  was  always  making  up  to  him  and 
coming  towards  him.  And  it  was  usual  for  the 
Fenians  in  those  days  to  go  out  hunting  on  the 
hills  and  mountains  and  in  the  woods  of  Erin,  and 
when  one  of  them  went  he  always  took  five  or  six 
men  with  him  to  bring  home  the  game. 

On  a  day  Oisin  set  out  with  his  men  and  dogs  to 
the  woods ;  and  he  went  so  far  and  killed  so  much 
game  that  when  it  was  brought  together,  the  men 
were  so  tired,  weak,  and  hungry  that  they  could  n't 
carry  it,  but  went  away  home  and  left  him  with 
the  three  dogs,  Bran,  Sciolan,  and  Bugten,1  to  shift 
for  himself. 

Now  the  daughter  of  the  king  of  Tir  na  n-Og, 
who  was  herself  the  queen  of  Youth,  followed 
closely  in  the  hunt  all  that  day,  and  when  the  men 
left  Oisin  she  came  up  to  him;  and  as  he  stood 
looking  at  the  great  pile  of  game  and  said,  "  I  am 
very  sorry  to  leave  behind  anything  that  I  Ve  had 
the  trouble  of  killing,"  she  looked  at  him  and 
said,  "  Tie  up  a  bundle  for  me,  and  I  '11  carry  it  to 
lighten  the  load  off  you." 

Oisin  gave  her  a  bundle  of  the  game  to  carry, 
1  Celebrated  dogs  of  Fin  MacCumhail, 


330      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

and  took  the  remainder  himself.  The  evening 
was  very  warm  and  the  game  heavy,  and  after 
they  had  gone  some  distance,  Oisin  said,  "  Let  us 
rest  a  while."  Both  threw  down  their  burdens,  and 
put  their  backs  against  a  great  stone  that  was  by 
the  roadside.  The  woman  was  heated  and  out  of 
breath,  and  opened  her  dress  to  cool  herself. 
Then  Oisin  looked  at  her  and  saw  her  beautiful 
form  and  her  white  bosom. 

"  Oh,  then,"  said  he,  "  it 's  a  pity  you  have  the 
pig's  head  on  you ;  for  I  have  never  seen  such  an 
appearance  on  a  woman  in  all  my  life  before." 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  my  father  is  the  king  of 
Tir  na  n-Og,  and  I  was  the  finest  woman  in  his 
kingdom  and  the  most  beautiful  of  all,  till  he  put 
me  under  a  Druidic  spell  and  gave  me  the  pig's 
head  that 's  on  me  now  in  place  of  my  own.  And 
the  Druid  of  Tir  na  n-Og  came  to  me  afterwards, 
and  told  me  that  if  one  of  the  sons  of  Fin  Mac- 
Cumhail  would  marry  me,  the  pig's  head  would 
vanish,  and  I  should  get  back  my  face  in  the  same 
form  as  it  was  before  my  father  struck  me  with 
the  Druid's  wand.  When  I  heard  this  I  never 
stopped  till  I  came  to  Erin,  where  I  found  your 
father  and  picked  you  out  among  the  sons  of  Fin 
MacCumhail,  and  followed  you  to  see  would  you 
marry  me  and  set  me  free." 

"  If  that  is  the  state  you  are  in,  and  if  marriage 


Oisin  in  Tir  na  n-Og.  331 

with  me  will  free  you  from  the  spell,  I  '11  not  leave 
the  pig's  head  on  you  long." 

So  they  got  married  without  delay,  not  waiting 
to  take  home  the  game  or  to  lift  it  from  the 
ground.  That  moment  the  pig's  head  was  gone, 
and  the  king's  daughter  had  the  same  face  and 
beauty  that  she  had  before  her  father  struck  her 
with  the  Druidic  wand. 

"  Now,"  said  the  queen  of  Youth  to  Oisin,  "  I 
cannot  stay  here  long,  and  unless  you  come  with 
me  to  Tir  na  n-Og  we  must  part." 

"  Oh,"  said  Oisin,  "  wherever  you  go  I  '11  go, 
and  wherever  you  turn  I  '11  follow." 

Then  she  turned  and  Oisin  went  with  her,  not 
going  back  to  Knock  an  Ar  to  see  his  father  or  his 
son.  That  very  day  they  set  out  for  Tir  na  n-Og 
and  never  stopped  till  they  came  to  her  father's 
castle ;  and  when  they  came,  there  was  a  welcome 
before  them,  for  the  king  thought  his  daughter 
was  lost.  That  same  year  there  was  to  be  a  choice 
of  a  king,  and  when  the  appointed  day  came  at 
the  end  of  the  seventh  year  all  the  great  men  and 
the  champions,  and  the  king  himself,  met  together 
at  the  front  of  the  castle  to  run  and  see  who  should 
be  first  in  the  chair  on  the  hill ;  but  before  a  man 
of  them  was  half  way  to  the  hill,  Oisin  was  sitting 
above  in  the  chair  before  them.  After  that  time 
no  one  stood  up  to  run  for  the  office  against  Oisin, 


332       Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

and  he  spent  many  a  happy  year  as  king  in  Tir  na 
n-Og.  At  last  he  said  to  his  wife :  "  I  wish  I  could 
be  in  Erin  to-day  to  see  my  father  and  his  men." 

"  If  you  go,"  said  his  wife,  "  and  set  foot  on  the 
land  of  Erin,  you  '11  never  come  back  here  to  me, 
and  you  '11  become  a  blind  old  man.  How  long 
do  you  think  it  is  since  you  came  here?" 

"  About  three  years,"  said  Oisin. 

"  It  is  three  hundred  years,"  said  she,  "  since 
you  came  to  this  kingdom  with  me.  If  you  must 
go  to  Erin,  I  '11  give  you  this  white  steed  to  carry 
you ;  but  if  you  come  down  from  the  steed  or 
touch  the  soil  of  Erin  with  your  foot,  the  steed 
will  come  back  that  minute,  and  you  '11  be  where 
he  left  you,  a  poor  old  man." 

"  I  '11  come  back,  never  fear,"  said  Oisin.  "  Have 
I  not  good  reason  to  come  back?  But  I  must  see 
my  father  and  my  son  and  my  friends  in  Erin  once 
more ;  I  must  have  even  one  look  at  them." 

She  prepared  the  steed  for  Oisin  and  said,  "  This 
steed  will  carry  you  wherever  you  wish  to  go." 

Oisin  never  stopped  till  the  steed  touched  the 
soil  of  Erin ;  and  he  went  on  till  he  came  to 
Knock  Patrick  in  Munster,  where  he  saw  a  man 
herding  cows.  In  the  field,  where  the  cows  were 
grazing  there  was  a  broad  flat  stone. 

"  Will  you  come  here,"  said  Oisin  to  the  herds- 
man, "  and  turn  over  this  stone?" 


Oisin  in  Tir  na  n-Og.  333 

"  Indeed,  then,  I  will  not,"  said  the  herdsman ; 
"  for  I  could  not  lift  it,  nor  twenty  men  more 
like  me." 

Oisin  rode  up  to  the  stone,  and,  reaching  down, 
caught  it  with  his  hand  and  turned  it  over. 
Underneath  the  stone  was  the  great  horn  of  the 
Fenians  (borabu),  which  circled  round  like  a  sea- 
shell,  and  it  was  the  rule  that  when  any  of  the 
Fenians  of  Erin  blew  the  borabu,  the  others  would 
assemble  at  once  from  whatever  part  of  the  coun- 
try they  might  be  in  at  the  time. 

"  Will  you  bring  this  horn  to  me !  "  asked  Oisin 
of  the  herdsman. 

"  I  will  not,"  said  the  herdsman ;  "  for  neither  I 
nor  many  more  like  me  could  raise  it  from  the 
ground." 

With  that  Oisin  moved  near  the  horn,  and 
reaching  down  took  it  in  his  hand ;  but  so  eager 
was  he  to  blow  it,  that  he  forgot  everything,  and 
slipped  in  reaching  till  one  foot  touched  the  earth. 
In  an  instant  the  steed  was  gone,  and  Oisin  lay 
on  the  ground  a  blind  old  man.  The  herdsman 
went  to  Saint  Patrick,  who  lived  near  by,  and  told 
him  what  had  happened. 

Saint  Patrick  sent  a  man  and  a  horse  for  Oisin, 
brought  him  to  his  own  house,  gave  him  a  room 
by  himself,  and  sent  a  boy  to  stay  with  him  to 
serve  and  take  care  of  him.  And  Saint  Patrick 


334     Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

commanded  his  cook  to  send  Oisin  plenty  of  meat 
and  drink,  to  give  him  bread  and  beef  and  butter 
every  day. 

Now  Oisin  lived  a  while  in  this  way.  The  cook 
sent  him  provisions  each  day,  and  Saint  Patrick 
himself  asked  him  all  kinds  of  questions  about  the 
old  times  of  the  Fenians  of  Erin.  Oisin  told  him 
about  his  father,  Fin  MacCumhail,  about  himself, 
his  son  Osgar,  Goll  MacMorna,  Conan  Maol, 
Diarmuid,  and  all  the  Fenian  heroes ;  how  they 
fought,  feasted,  and  hunted,  how  they  came  under 
Druidic  spells,  and  how  they  were  freed  from 
them. 

At  the  same  time,  Saint  Patrick  was  putting  up 
a  great  building;  but  what  his  men  used  to  put 
up  in  the  daytime  was  levelled  at  night,  and  Saint 
Patrick  lamented  over  his  losses  in  the  hearing  of 
Oisin.  Then  Oisin  said  in  the  hearing  of  Saint 
Patrick,  "  If  I  had  my  strength  and  my  sight,  I  'd 
put  a  stop  to  the  power  that  is  levelling  your 
work." 

"  Do  you  think  you  'd  be  able  to  do  that,"  said 
Saint  Patrick,  "  and  let  my  building  go  on?  " 

"  I  do,  indeed,"  said  Oisin. 

So  Saint  Patrick  prayed  to  the  Lord,  and  the 
sight  and  strength  came  back  to  Oisin.  He  went 
to  the  woods  and  got  a  great  club  and  stood  at 
the  building  on  guard. 


Oisin  in  Tir  na  n-Og.  335 

What  should  come  in  the  night  but  a  great 
beast  in  the  form  of  a  bull,  which  began  to  uproot 
and  destroy  the  work.  But  if  he  did  Oisin  faced 
him,  and  the  battle  began  hot  and  heavy  between 
the  two ;  but  in  the  course  of  the  night  Oisin  got 
the  upper  hand  of  the  bull  and  left  him  dead  be- 
fore the  building.  Then  he  stretched  out  on  the 
ground  himself  and  fell  asleep. 

Now  Saint  Patrick  was  waiting  at  home  to  know 
how  would  the  battle  come  out,  and  thinking 
Oisin  too  long  away  he  sent  a  messenger  to  the 
building;  and  when  the  messenger  came  he  saw 
the  ground  torn  up,  a  hill  in  one  place  and  a 
hollow  in  the  next.  The  bull  was  dead  and  Oisin 
sleeping  after  the  desperate  battle.  He  went  back 
and  told  what  he  saw. 

"  Oh,"  said  Saint  Patrick,  "  it 's  better  to  knock 
the  strength  out  of  him  again ;  for  he  '11  kill  us  all 
if  he  gets  vexed." 

Saint  Patrick  took  the  strength  out  of  him,  and 
when  Oisin  woke  up  he  was  a  blind  old  man  and 
the  messenger  went  out  and  brought  him  home. 

Oisin  lived  on  for  a  time  as  before.  The  cook 
sent  him  his  food,  the  boy  served  him,  and  Saint 
Patrick  listened  to  the  stories  of  the  Fenians  of 
Erin. 

Saint  Patrick  had  a  neighbor,  a  Jew,  a  very  rich 
man  but  the  greatest  miser  in  the  kingdom,  and 


336     Myths  and  Folk-L  ore  of  Ireland. 

he  had  the  finest  haggart  of  corn  in  Erin.  Well, 
the  Jew  and  Saint  Patrick  got  very  intimate  with 
one  another  and  so  great  became  the  friendship 
of  the  Jew  for  Saint  Patrick  at  last,  that  he  said 
he  'd  give  him,  for  the  support  of  his  house,  as 
much  corn  as  one  man  could  thrash  out  of  the 
haggart1  in  a  day. 

When  Saint  Patrick  went  home  after  getting  the 
promise  of  the  corn,  he  told  in  the  hearing  of 
Oisin  about  what  the  Jew  had  said. 

"  Oh,  then,"  said  Oisin,  "  if  I  had  my  sight  and 
strength,  I  'd  thrash  as  much  corn  in  one  day  as 
would  do  your  whole  house  for  a  twelvemonth 
and  more." 

"  Will  you  do  that  for  me?  "  said  Saint  Patrick. 

"  I  will,"  said  Oisin. 

Saint  Patrick  prayed  again  to  the  Lord,  and  the 
sight  and  strength  came  back  to  Oisin.  He  went 
to  the  woods  next  morning  at  daybreak,  Oisin  did, 
pulled  up  two  fine  ash-trees  and  made  a  flail  of 
them.  After  eating  his  breakfast  he  left  the  house 
and  never  stopped  till  he  faced  the  haggart  of  the 
Jew.  Standing  before  one  of  the  stacks  of  wheat 
he  hit  it  a  wallop  of  his  flail  and  broke  it  asunder. 
He  kept  on  in  this  way  till  he  slashed  the  whole 
haggart  to  and  fro,  —  and  the  Jew  running  like  mad 
up  and  down  the  highroad  in  front  of  the  haggart, 
1  Haggart,  hay-yard. 


Oisin  in  Tir  na  n-Og.  337 

tearing  the  hair  from  his  head  when  he  saw  what 
was  doing  to  his  wheat,  and  the  face  gone  from 
him  entirely  he  was  so  in  dread  of  Oisin. 

When  the  haggart  was  thrashed  clean,  Oisin 
went  to  Saint  Patrick  and  told  him  to  send  his 
men  for  the  wheat ;  for  he  had  thrashed  out  the 
whole  haggart.  When  Saint  Patrick  saw  the 
countenance  that  was  on  Oisin,  and  heard  what  he 
had  done  he  was  greatly  in  dread  of  him,  and 
knocked  the  strength  out  of  him  again,  and  Oisin 
became  an  old,  blind  man  as  before. 

Saint  Patrick's  men  went  to  the  haggart  and 
there  was  so  much  wheat  they  did  n't  bring  the 
half  of  it  away  with  them  and  they  did  n't  want 
it. 

Oisin  again  lived  for  a  while  as  before  and  then 
he  was  vexed  because  the  cook  did  n't  give  him 
what  he  wanted.  He  told  Saint  Patrick  that  he 
was  n't  getting  enough  to  eat.  Then  Saint  Patrick 
called  up  the  cook  before  himself  and  Oisin  and 
asked  her  what  she  was  giving  Oisin  to  eat.  She 
said :  "  I  give  him  at  every  meal  what  bread  is 
baked  on  a  large  griddle  and  all  the  butter  I  make 
in  one  churn,  and  a  quarter  of  beef  besides." 

"  That  ought  to  be  enough  for  you,"  said  Saint 
Patrick. 

"  Oh,  then,"  said  Oisin,  turning  to  the  cook, 
"  I  have  often  seen  the  leg  of  a  blackbird  bigger 


338      Myths  and  Folk- Lore  of  Ireland. 

than  the  quarter  of  beef  you  give  me,  I  have  often 
seen  an  ivy  leaf  bigger  than  the  griddle  on  which 
you  bake  the  bread  for  me,  and  I  have  often  seen 
a  single  rowan  berry  [the  mountain  ash  berry] 
bigger  than  the  bit  of  butter  you  give  me  to 
eat." 

"  You  lie  !  "  said  the  cook,  "  you  never  did." 

Oisin  said  not  a  word  in  answer. 

Now  there  was  a  hound  in  the  place  that  was 
going  to  have  her  first  whelps,  and  Oisin  said  to 
the  boy  who  was  tending  him :  "  Do  you  mind 
and  get  the  first  whelp  she  '11  have  and  drown  the 
others." 

Next  morning  the  boy  found  three  whelps,  and 
coming  back  to  Oisin,  said :  "  There  are  three 
whelps  and  'tis  unknown  which  of  them  is  the 
first." 

At  Saint  Patrick's  house  they  had  slaughtered 
an  ox  the  day  before,  and  Oisin  said :  "  Go  now 
and  bring  the  hide  of  the  ox  and  hang  it  up  in 
this  room."  When  the  hide  was  hung  up  Oisin 
said,  "  Bring  here  the  three  whelps  and  throw 
them  up  against  the  hide."  The  boy  threw  up 
one  of  the  whelps  against  the  oxhide.  "  What 
did  he  do?"  asked  Oisin. 

"  What  did  he  do,"  said  the  boy,  "  but  fall  to 
the  ground." 

"  Throw   up    another,"    said    Oisin.      The    boy 


Oisin  in  Tir  na  n-Og.  339 

threw  another.     "  What  did  he  do?  "  asked  Oisin. 

"  What  did  he  do  but  to  fall  the  same  as  the 
first." 

The  third  whelp  was  thrown  and  he  held  fast  to 
the  hide,  — didn't  fall.  "What  did  he  do?" 
asked  Oisin. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  boy,  "  he  kept  his  hold." 

"Take  him  down,"  said  Oisin;  "give  him  to 
the  mother :  bring  both  in  here ;  feed  the  mother 
well  and  drown  the  other  two." 

The  boy  did  as  he  was  commanded,  and  fed  the 
two  well,  and  when  the  whelp  grew  up  the  mother 
was  banished,  the  whelp  chained  up  and  fed  for 
a  year  and  a  day.  And  when  the  year  and  a  day 
were  spent,  Oisin  said,  "  We  '11  go  hunting  to- 
morrow, and  we  '11  take  the  dog  with  us." 

They  went  next  day,  the  boy  guiding  Oisin, 
holding  the  dog  by  a  chain.  They  went  first  to 
the  place  where  Oisin  had  touched  earth  and  lost 
the  magic  steed  from  Tir  na  n-Og.  The  borabu 
of  the  Fenians  of  Erin  was  lying  on  the  ground 
there  still.  Oisin  took  it  up  and  they  went  on  to 
Glen  na  Smuil  (Thrushs's  Glen).  When  at  the 
edge  of  the  glen  Oisin  began  to  sound  the  borabu. 
Birds  and  beasts  of  every  kind  came  hurrying 
forward.  He  blew  the  horn  till  the  glen  was  full 
of  them  from  end  to  end. 

"  What  do  you  see  now?  "  asked  he  of  the  boy. 


340      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  The  glen  is  full  of  living  things." 

"  What  is  the  dog  doing?  " 

"  He  is  looking  ahead  and  his  hair  is  on  end." 

"  Do  you  see  anything  else?  " 

"  I  see  a  great  bird  all  black  settling  down  on 
the  north  side  of  the  glen." 

"  That 's  what  I  want,"  said  Oisin ;  "  what  is  the 
dog  doing  now?" 

"  Oh,  the  eyes  are  coming  out  of  his  head,  and 
there  is  n't  a  rib  of  hair  on  his  body  that  is  n't 
standing  up." 

"  Let  him  go  now,"  said  Oisin.  The  boy  let 
slip  the  chain  and  the  dog  rushed  through  the 
glen  killing  everything  before  him.  When  all  the 
others  were  dead  he  turned  to  the  great  blackbird 
and  killed  that.  Then  he  faced  Oisin  and  the  boy 
and  came  bounding  toward  them  with  venom  and 
fierceness.  Oisin  drew  out  of  his  bosom  a  brass 
ball  and  said :  "  If  you  don't  throw  this  into  the 
dog's  mouth  he  '11  destroy  us  both ;  knock  the  dog 
with  the  ball  or  he  '11  tear  us  to  pieces." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  boy,  "  I  '11  never  be  able  to 
throw  the  ball,  I  'm  so  in  dread  of  the  dog." 

"  Come  here  at  my  back,  then,"  said  Oisin, 
"  and  straighten  my  hand  towards  the  dog."  The 
boy  directed  the  hand  and  Oisin  threw  the  ball 
into  the  dog's  mouth  and  killed  him  on  the  spot. 

"  What  have  we  done?  "  asked  Oisin. 


Oisin  in  Tir  na  n-Og.  34 1 

"  Oh,  the  dog  is  knocked,"  said  the  boy. 

"  We  are  all  right  then,"  said  Oisin,  "  and  do 
you  lead  me  now  to  the  blackbird  of  the  earn, 
I  don't  care  for  the  others." 

They  went  to  the  great  bird,  kindled  a  fire  and 
cooked  all  except  one  of  its  legs.  Then  Oisin  ate 
as  much  as  he  wanted  and  said ;  "  I  Ve  had  a 
good  meal  of  my  own  hunting  and  it  "s  many 
and  many  a  day  since  I  have  had  one.  Now 
let  us  go  on  farther." 

They  went  into  the  woods,  and  soon  Oisin  asked 
the  boy;  "  Do  you  see  anything  wonderful?" 

"  I  see  an  ivy  with  the  largest  leaves  I  have  ever 
set  eyes  on." 

"  Take  one  leaf  of  that  ivy,"  said  Oisin. 

The  boy  took  the  leaf.  Near  the  ivy  they  found 
a  rowan  berry,  and  then  went  home  taking  the 
three  things  with  them,  —  the  blackbird's  leg,  the 
ivy  leaf,  and  the  rowan  berry.  When  they  reached 
the  house  Oisin  called  for  the  cook,  and  Saint 
Patrick  made  her  come  to  the  fore.  When  she 
came  Oisin  pointed  to  the  blackbird's  leg  and 
asked,  "  Which  is  larger,  that  leg  or  the  quarter 
of  beef  you  give  me?" 

"  Oh,  that  is  a  deal  larger,"  said  the  cook. 

"  You  were  right  in  that  case,"  said  Saint  Patrick 
to  Oisin. 

Then   Oisin  drew  out  the   ivy  leaf  and  asked, 


34  2      Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland. 

"  Which  is  larger,  this  or  the  griddle  on  which  you 
made  bread  for  me  ?  " 

"  That  is  larger  than  the  griddle  and  the  bread 
together,"  said  the  cook. 

"  Right  again,"  said  Saint  Patrick. 

Oisin  now  took  out  the  rowan  berry  and  asked : 
"  Which  is  larger,  this  berry  or  the  butter  of  one 
churning  which  you  give  me?" 

"  Oh,  that  is  bigger,"  said  the  cook,  "  than  both 
the  churn  and  the  butter." 

"  Right,  every  time,"  said  Saint  Patrick. 

Then  Oisin  raised  his  arm  and  swept  the  head 
off  the  cook  with  a  stroke  from  the  edge  of  his 
hand,  saying,  "  You  '11  never  give  the  lie  to  an 
honest  man  again." 


NOTES. 


Aedh  Curucha  (Aedh  Crochthd),  Hugh,  the  "  sus- 
pended "  or  "  hung  up."  As  Aedh  means  also  a  fire- 
spark  as  well  as  the  modern  name  Hugh,  Aedh  Curucha 
means  the  hung  up  or  suspended  fire-spark. 

Alba,  former  name  of  Scotland. 

Bar  an  Snan,  "  pin  of  slumber,"  met  with  frequently  in 
Gaelic  mythology,  is  found  among  the  Slavs,  but  not  so 
often.  It  appears  in  a  Russian  story,  —  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  in  European  folk-lore. 

Cesa  MacRi  na  Tulach,  "  Cesa,  son  of  the  king  of  the 
hill,"  said  by  my  Donegal  informant  to  be  a  small  dark- 
gray  bird. 

C&rucha  na  Gros  (  Crochtha  na  g-cros),  "  hung  on  the 
crosses,"  is  a  very  interesting  name,  as  is  also  that  of  the 
father  of  Fair,  Brown,  and  Trembling,  Aedh  Curucha,  q.  v. 

Condn  Maol  MacMorna,  the  Gaelic  Thersites,  always 
railing,  causing  trouble,  unpopular,  and  attracting  attention. 
This  species  of  person  is  as  well  known  in  the  mythology 
of  the  North  American  Indians  as  in  Aryan  myths. 

Diachbha  (pronounced  Dyeeachva),  "  divinity,"  or  the 
working  of  a  power  outside  of  us  in  shaping  the  careers 
of  men  ;  fate. 

Diarmuid  (pronounced  Dyeearmud),  the  final  //sounded 
as  if  one  were  to  begin  to  utter  y  after  it),  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  characters  in  Gaelic  mythology,  a  great 


344  Notes. 

hunter  and  performer  of  marvellous  feats.  The  promi- 
nent event  of  his  life  was  the  carrying  off  of  Grainne, 
bride  of  Fin  MacCumhail,  at  her  own  command.  After 
many  years  of  baffled  pursuit,  Fin  was  forced  to  make 
peace  ;  but  he  contrived  at  last  to  bring  about  Diarmuid's 
death  by  causing  him  to  hunt  an  enchanted  boar  of  green 
color  and  without  ears  or  tail.  The  account  of  this  pur- 
suit and  the  death  of  Diarmuid  forms  one  of  the  cele- 
brated productions  of  Gaelic  literature.  Diarmuid  had 
a  mole  on  his  forehead,  which  he  kept  covered  usually ; 
but  when  it  was  laid  bare  and  a  woman  saw  it,  she  fell 
in  love  with  him  beyond  recall.  This  was  why  Grainne 
deserted  Fin,  not  after  she  was  married,  but  at  the  feast 
of  betrothal.  The  evident  meaning  of  the  word  is  "  bright " 
or  "  divine-weaponed."  It  is  very  interesting  to  find  Diar- 
muid called  also  Son  of  the  Monarch  of  Light,  in  another 
story. 

Donoch  Kam  cosa,  ".Donoch,  crooked  feet." 

Draoiachta  (pronounced  Dreeachta),  "Druidism,"  or 
"  enchantment." 

Erineaeh,  or  Eirineach,  "a  man  of  Erin." 

Gil  an  Og,  "  water  of  youth." 

Gilla  na  Grakin  (Gilla  na  g-croiceari),  "the  fellow  (or 
youth)  of  the  skins,"  —  /.  e.,  the  serving  man  of  the  skins. 
This  word  "  Gilla "  enters  into  the  formation  of  many 
Gaelic  names,  such  as  Gilchrist,  Gilfillin,  MacGillacuddy. 

Gruagach  (pronounced  GrooagacJi),  "the  hairy  one," 
from  gruag,  hair.  We  are  more  likely  to  be  justified  in 
finding  a  solar  agent  concealed  in  the  person  of  the  laugh- 
ing Gruagach  or  the  Gruagach  of  tricks  than  in  many  of 
the  sun-myths  put  forth  by  some  modern  writers. 

Inis  Cool,  "  light  island,"  —  /.  <?.,  not  heavy. 


Notes.  345 

Iron-back-without-adion  (  Ton  iaran  gan  tapuil) . 

Knock  an  Ar,  "  hill  of  slaughter,"  a  mountain  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Shannon  in  Kerry. 

Lun  Dubh  MacSmola,  "  blackbird,"  son  of  thrush. 

Mai  MacMulcan.  Mulcan  in  this  name  is  evidently 
Vulcan,  substituted  for  some  old  Gaelic  myth-power. 

Oisin.  In  the  Gaelic  of  Ireland  this  name  is  accented 
on  the  last  syllable  ;  in  that  of  Scotland  on  the  first,  which 
gives  in  English  Ossian,  the  poet  made  known  to  the 
world  by  Macpherson.  The  poems  of  Ossian  are  of  course 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  ballads  of  Fin  MacCum- 
hail  and  the  Fenians  of  Erin,  taken  from  Ireland  to  Scot- 
land by  the  Gael  when  they  settled  in  the  latter  country, 
and  modified  in  some  degree  by  Macpherson.  Oisin  is 
pronounced  Ush£en  in  Ireland,  u  sounded  as  in  but. 

Ri  Fohin  (Rifo  thuinn),  "  king  under  the  wave." 

Sean  Ruadh,  "John  the  Red,"  pronounced  Shawn 
Roo. 

Tisean  (pronounced  Tishydn ;  an  as  in  pan\  "  envy." 
Son  of  King  Tisean  means  "  Son  of  King  Envy." 

Urfiist.  This  word  is  made  up  of  Ur  and  ptist.  Ur 
is  kindred  with  the  German  Ur,  and  in  a  compound  like 
this  means  the  "  original  "  or  "  greatest."  Ptist  — 
"  worm,"  "  beast,"  "  monster"  —  is  changed  to  flist  here, 
according  to  a  rule  of  aspiration  in  Gaelic  grammar. 


THE   END. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


LD 
URL 


MAR  U 1989 
MAR07198S 


_UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FATu  rrv 

"    tllllllllll 


A     000  032  555     5 


